A collection of symbolic shrouds representing the victims of the chemical attack carried out in the region in 2013 is displayed in a room of the Kafr Batna hospital, where the bodies of the victims were placed after the massacre, in Eastern Ghouta, Syria, on Aug. 18, 2026. (Credit: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters)
Syria said Friday that it had requested to join the International Partnership Against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons (PICIAC), coinciding with the anniversary of the 2013 chemical attack on a suburb of Damascus.
In a joint statement with France, Syria announced its bid to join the partnership, launched by Paris in January 2018. The group includes 40 countries committed to combating the use of chemical weapons, which are banned under international law. Paris hailed the initiative as ‘’clear evidence of Syria’s commitment to strengthening accountability and justice and combating impunity.’’
On Aug. 21, 2013, a chemical attack attributed to the Syrian government, which denied any involvement, struck eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, killing more than 1,400 people, according to U.S. intelligence agencies. Images of men, women and, especially, motionless children with foam at their mouths shocked the world.
Afterward, Syria joined the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and agreed, under pressure from Russia and the United States, to declare and surrender its stockpiles of toxic agents for destruction. However, the Assad government did not declare its entire stockpile and attempted to mislead inspectors.
Since the fall of the Assad government in late 2024, Syria’s new authorities have pledged to cooperate with the organization to destroy the chemical weapons that former President Bashar Assad was repeatedly accused of using during more than 13 years of civil war. They have allowed OPCW inspectors to establish a permanent presence in the country to document suspected chemical weapons sites and interview witnesses to past attacks. The OPCW, which is based in The Hague, restored Syria’s voting rights in July after they were revoked in 2021.
Syria and France on Friday emphasized ‘’the vital role’’ played by the OPCW ‘’in shedding light on facts related to the previous regime’s chemical weapons program, identifying and verifying remaining elements, and their destruction.’’
The two countries said they support the OPCW in its efforts ‘’to address outstanding issues, which helps to strengthen the chemical weapons ban regime, uphold the principle of accountability and ensure that such crimes are never committed again.’’
