Syrian Medical Professionals Coerced into False Testimony on 2018 Douma Chemical Attack
Damascus, Syria – Three Syrian medical professionals, two doctors, and a nurse, have come forward with chilling accounts of being coerced by the Assad regime into fabricating testimony regarding the 2018 chlorine gas attack in Douma, Syria. These individuals, who bravely treated victims of the horrific attack in a makeshift field hospital, recounted their experiences in interviews conducted following the fall of the Assad government in December 2023. Their testimonies provide a stark illustration of the lengths to which the regime went to obscure its culpability in the use of chemical weapons against its own people. The attack, which killed 43 people, has been the subject of intense international scrutiny.
Dr. Mohammed al-Hanash, an orthopedic surgeon, and Dr. Hassan Oyoun, an emergency and intensive care specialist, described the intimidating atmosphere during their interrogations at national security headquarters. Dr. Hanash revealed that he was threatened with repercussions against his family if he didn’t cooperate, while Dr. Oyoun recounted facing an investigator with a gun placed menacingly on the table. Muwafaq Nisrin, a nurse who also provided emergency response, shared similar fears for her family’s safety, emphasizing the pervasive vulnerability felt by medical personnel in Douma.
The scene of the attack was a building near the field hospital where these three were working tirelessly to save lives. Shortly after the attack, a video surfaced online depicting the chaotic aftermath, showing medics desperately treating victims, including children, and individuals attempting to wash off the chemical agent with water. The Assad regime promptly dismissed the footage as fabricated, and its security forces subsequently interrogated those who appeared in the video, including the three medical professionals.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), an international watchdog, concluded in January 2023 that the Syrian government was responsible for the Douma attack. Their investigation pointed to "reasonable grounds" to believe that a Syrian Air Force helicopter dropped two cylinders containing chlorine gas on the town. Despite this compelling evidence, the Syrian and Russian governments maintain that the attack was staged by rescue workers, implicating the United States, which launched airstrikes against Syria following the attack, alongside Britain and France.
The medical professionals described how they were pressured to provide vague and misleading answers during their initial interrogations. Dr. Hanash explained how he attempted to deflect questions by claiming he was in the operating room, a location where chemical attack victims would not have been treated. He also attributed mild cases of suffocation to dust barriers erected around the hospital. Ms. Nisrin, who can be seen in the video aiding a distressed young girl, revealed that the authorities insisted no chemical attack had occurred and wanted to suppress the incident entirely.
Following the initial questioning, the three individuals were forced to repeat their fabricated testimonies in front of a camera, ostensibly for an investigating committee collaborating with the OPCW. However, they later discovered that their edited testimonies were broadcast on state television, manipulated and taken out of context to support the regime’s narrative. Their ordeal transformed them into unwitting participants in a disinformation campaign designed to exonerate the very government they yearned to see overthrown. These brave individuals risked their lives and the safety of their families to share their story, providing a chilling example of the suppression of truth and the manipulation of information in the aftermath of a horrific chemical weapons attack. Their testimony further reinforces the findings of the OPCW and underscores the urgent need for accountability for the perpetrators of this heinous crime.