Syrian Medics Reveal Coerced False Testimony on 2018 Chemical Attack

Three medical workers detail threats and manipulation by Assad's regime to deny chlorine gas attack in Douma, now speaking openly after the government's fall.

• Two Syrian doctors and a nurse reported being coerced by Assad's government to deny a 2018 chlorine gas attack in Douma that killed 43 people.
• The medics faced threats to their families and intimidation, including a gun placed on the table during interrogations by Syrian security forces.
• Their coerced testimonies were recorded, edited, and broadcast on state television to support the regime's narrative denying the chemical attack.
• The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) later found credible evidence that the Syrian Air Force was responsible for the attack.
• The medics, now able to speak freely after Assad's fall on December 8, expressed relief that their false statements did not alter the OPCW's findings.

5 Articles

The Japan Times Der Tagesspiegel Ouest-France