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The OPCW IIT issues its first report regarding alleged chemical weapon attacks in Syria. It does so without having resolved any of the serious scientific and procedural anomalies identified in their Fact Finding Mission Douma report. http://syriapropagandamedia.org/update-on-the-opcws-investigation-of-the-douma-incident…. Here is what we know
1) In October 2019 the @couragefound convened a panel including Jose Bustani, the first Director General of the OPCW, which found that the investigation had been manipulated. https://www.couragefound.org/2019/10/opcw-panel-statement
2) This was followed by an open letter to OPCW delegates calling for action to permit all the inspectors who investigated the Douma incident to be heard. Signatories included Jose Bustani, Noam Chomsky, Katherine Gun, John Pilger and Han von Sponeck. https://www.couragefound.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Letter-to-Permanent-Representatives.pdf
3) The OPCW ignored these calls and since then multiple leaks and whistleblower testimonies have emerged to support the @couragefound findings https://wikileaks.org/opcw-douma/#OPCW-DOUMA%20-%20Release%20Part%204 @opcw @RealDeeptiC @garethrw @RobertF40396660 @braha_seb @samibarrek
4) The scientific and procedural anomalies are extremely serious and include obfuscation of inconsistent witness testimony, failure to report chemistry results, obfuscation of toxicology evidence and suppression of ballistics findings https://couragefound.org/2019/10/analytical-points-opcw-panel/
5) For example, the final OPCW report failed to explain how the gas cylinder at location four performed an extraordinary bounce across a bedroom to land on a bed providing instead an assertion coupled with a nonsensical diagram
6) And this was done whilst simultaneously suppressing the engineering study produced by their own expert, Ian Henderson working with two universities, which concluded the cylinders were most likely placed by hand. http://syriapropagandamedia.org/working-papers/assessment-by-the-engineering-sub-team-of-the-opcw-fact-finding-mission-investigating-the-alleged-chemical-attack-in-douma-in-april-2018
7) The most disturbing issue concerns suppression of toxicology reports regarding how approx. 50 civilians were killed at location 2. The Final OPCW report notes the deaths could not be linked to a specific chemical and that the agent appear to be fast acting.
8) But, as we now know from original (suppressed) interim report, this obfuscates the very clear advice from 4 NATO chemical warfare toxicologist that the civilians were not poisoned by chlorine gas coming from the cylinder dropped onto a balcony at location two.
9) Minutes of the meeting with the 4 NATO toxicologists provide further evidence that it was known full well that the civilians could not have been killed by chlorine from this gas cylinder poised over a hole on a balcony.
10) Procedural irregularities amount to scientific fraud and breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. As Ian Henderson reported to the UN Security Council, the team who actually deployed to Douma were excluded from the investigation.
11) As reported by @ClarkeMicah, an attempt was made to secretly alter the original draft interim report signed off by the Douma team. This was only stopped when a member of the team accidentally discovered this duplicity and complained: https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2019/11/new-sexed-up-dossier-furore-explosive-leaked-email-claims-that-un-watchdogs-report-into-alleged-poison-gas-attack-by-assad-w.html
12) And as @JonathanSteele reported, the OPCW Chief of Cabinet @RobertF40396660 allowed a US delegation to brief the Douma team, 'informing' them the Syrian government carried out the attack. This is a breach of the Chemical Weapons Convention. https://www.counterpunch.org/2019/11/15/the-opcw-and-douma-chemical-weapons-watchdog-accused-of-evidence-tampering-by-its-own-inspectors/ @UK_OPCW
to be continued ....
