Joint Investigative Mechanism for Syria Visits Damascus

NEW YORK, 9 May (Joint Investigative Mechanism) — The investigators of the Joint Investigative Mechanism, mandated to identify those responsible for the use of chemical weapons in Syria, pursuant to Security Council resolution 2235 (2015), visited Damascus last week.  They met with Syrian authorities and reviewed information related to the nine cases that were identified for in-depth investigation in the Mechanism’s first report to the Security Council in February.

This was the second technical visit by the investigators to the Syrian capital, which will be followed by another one next month.  The Mechanism’s Leadership Panel, led by Virginia Gamba, visited Damascus in December, after the signing of the status of mission agreement with the Syrian Government.

The nine cases (with the dates of related incidents) identified are:  Kafr Zita (11 and 18 April 2014) in Hama Governorate; Talmenes (21 April 2014), Qmenas (16 March 2015), Sarmin (16 March 2015), Binnish (23 March 2015), and Al Tamanah (29–30 April 2014 and 25–26 May 2014), all in Idlib Governorate; and Marea (21 August 2015) in Aleppo Governorate.

The mandate of the Joint Investigative Mechanism is to identify to the greatest extent feasible individuals, entities, groups, or Governments who were perpetrators, organizers, sponsors or otherwise involved in the use of chemicals as weapons, including chlorine or any other toxic chemical, in the Syrian Arab Republic.