Russia slammed for ‘stunt’ bringing Douma residents to OPCW
THE HAGUE: Russia came under fireThursdayaccusedoforganising an “obscene masquerade” by bringing a group of Syrians to the OPCW to back claims that there was no chemical attack on Douma.
The group, including a young boy named Hassan Diab, testified to members of the global chemical arms watchdog in The Hague that the April 7 incident in the town had been staged.
Experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) are currently in Syria to probe the alleged chlorine or sarin gas attack on Douma.
The mission was launched after gruesome footage from the apparent attack horrified the world and prompted unprecedented Western strikes on Syrian military installations. But Syria and Russia have accused Syrian volunteer rescue workers, known as the White Helmets, of staging the video footage at the behest of the United States and its allies.
In a mounting propaganda campaign, Hassan, who is seen in the footage being hosed down and shivering, told a press conference in a hotel in The Hague that he didn’t know why people began pouring water on him in the hospital.
He was among a dozen people presented as victims or doctors or hospital workers, who all told similar stories – that someone had shouted out “chemical weapons” as hospital staff were treating injured people from a missile bombardment and panic spread.
“Unknown people started creating chaos, and pouring water on people. We were specialists and we could see there were no symptoms of the use of chemical weapons,” said physician Khalil, who said he was on duty in the emergency care unit.
He said “patients with choking symptoms” had begun coming to the hospital about 7pm, but it “was the result of people breathing in dust and smoke” from the bombardment.
Everyone was treated and sent home, Khalil added, denying reports from the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) and the White Helmets who jointly said dozens of people had died. — AFP