Sarin gas delivered to Al-Nusra from Turkey
It has emerged that the raw materials used to produce sarin gas, the use of which caused the death of thousands in Syria, was transported to Ahrar-ı Sham and Al-Nusra Front under the supervision of the Turkish state.
Thursday, 22 Oct 2015, 14:00
It has emerged that the raw materials used to produce sarin gas, the use of which caused the death of thousands in Syria, was transported to Ahrar-ı Sham and Al-Nusra Front under the supervision of the Turkish state and within the knowledge of police and intelligence departments
Main opposition party CHP Istanbul deputies Erdem Eren and Ali Şeker shared at a press conference the details of a lawsuit brought by Adana High Criminal Court against 13 Al-Nusra members in 2013. While the lawsuit was then rapidly concluded with a decision of non-prosecution, the CHP deputies said the indictment prepared in the scope of the case constituted a proof of a war crime was committed within the boundaries of the Turkish Republic.
Despite the propaganda produced by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that the chemical attacks in Syria were carried out by the Asad regime, it came out that the chemical materials used for the production of sarin gas were transferred to the gang groups in Syria from Turkey within the knowledge of the Turkish state.
The truth emerged with the exposure by CHP deputies of the indictment prepared by Adana Republic Prosecutor Mehmet Arıkan against Ahrar-ı Sham and Al-Nusra Fronts in the scope of a lawsuit brought on the issue in 2013.
CHP deputies Eren Erdem and Ali Şimşek reached the indictment and shared detailed information at a press conference they held at CHP Istanbul Office.
The records of phone conversations by Al-Nusra members, which were included in the indictment, reveal that the delivery of chemical raw materials from Turkey to Syria was carried out within the knowledge of police and intelligence units and under the supervision of the Turkish state.
One other point that grabs attention in the indictment is the release of Syrian citizen Hytham Qaasap, who was accused of procuring the raw materials used in the production of chemical weapons to Ahrar-ı Sham and Al-Nusra, and five Turkish citizens who helped him.
Speaking at the press conference, CHP Istanbul deputy Ali Şeker told about the lawsuit brought by Adana Public Prosecutor's Office about the production of chemical weapons in Turkey and their delivery into Syria. He said the technical assessments carried out in the scope of the lawsuit revealed that the chemical materials used in the production of sarin gas were delivered to Syria from Turkey.
The indictment involved the records of phone conversations between Hytham Qassap, member of the Al-Nusra front affiliated to Al-Qaeda, which revealed how the chemical materials were procured and how the rockets to carry these materials were produced.
Remarking that the Geneva Agreement which bans the use of chemical gas in wars could not hinder the production of chemical weapons, Şeker recalled that the production of Nerve Gas was started in 1936 and the Sarin gas in 1938.
Şeker pointed out that the Sarin gas is five hundred times more effective than Cyanide, the use of which caused the death of over 5 thousand people in Aleppo.
Şeker said the indictment also mentions a procurement of white phosphorus, which is also classified as very dangerous chemical material, which –when used somewhere- burns the human body to bones while the clothes remain intact.
CHP deputy noted that these chemical weapons were last used in Syria on 7 June and August of 2013, and stressed that the case was dropped and all the suspects were released although the lawsuit brought by Adana Public Prosecutor's Office openly revealed the production in Turkey of these chemical weapons and rockets to transport them.
"At first stage, 13 suspects had been detained. Out of them, 7 were immediately released, and the investigation continued for 6 of them, who were also released a while later", reported Şeker, stressing that the release of all the suspects in such a probe is thought-provoking. Calling attention to AKP government's claims that all necessary investigations are being conducted against "terrorist organisations", CHP deputy said the situation remains extremely dangerous for not only Turkey but also the neighboring countries.
Speaking after, CHP Deputy Eren Erdem said the indictment is a proof of the war crime committed in the territory of the Turkish Republic, and documents the background of the Sarin gas attack carried out in Syria, the blame of which was then put on the Assad regime by the mainstream media.
Erdem said Turkey's Machine and Chemistry Institute was also involved in the business, saying that the indictment also demonstrates that the names that procured material to the Machine and Chemistry Institute had no problems with passport control at the customs. He said this revealed the fact that Turkish police and intelligence units had all been informed about all these preparations.
Erdem also drew attention to the fact that all the suspects detained in the scope of the investigation were released and cited allegations that these persons were later sent abroad. CHP deputy added that then Minister of Interior and the PM have to give account on the issue and shed light on it before the public.
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