SYRIAMarch 12, 2020
Exclusive: New OPCW whistleblower slams 'abhorrent mistreatment' of Douma
investigators
A fourth OPCW whistleblower has emerged to defend the two veteran inspectors
who challenged a cover-up of the chemical weapons probe in Douma, Syria. The
new whistleblower lamented that other staffers have been "frightened into
silence."
By Aaron Mate
A new Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
whistleblower has surfaced in response to a malicious and factually-flawed
attack by OPCW leadership on two veteran inspectors who challenged the
official story of a chemical attack by the Syrian government in Douma.
In a statement provided to The Grayzone, the new OPCW whistleblower
described being "horrified" by the "abhorrent. mistreatment" of the
inspectors. The new whistleblower also warned of a climate of intimidation
designed to keep other staffers "frightened into silence."
The official is now the fourth OPCW whistleblower to air serious concerns
about the OPCW's Douma probe. The Grayzone has independently verified the
official's identity and status with the OPCW, and granted them anonymity to
protect them from potential retaliation.
Their full emailed statement can be seen here, and is transcribed at the
conclusion of this article.
The first two whistleblowers - the inspectors - are veteran OPCW experts and
team leaders who deployed to Syria in April 2018. A third staffer has
dissented from the official version of events, but declined to make their
views public out of fear that they and their family would be harmed.
The findings by the first two whistleblowing inspectors severely undermined
allegations by Western nations and Syrian opposition groups that the Syrian
government carried out a chemical attack in Douma.
However, OPCW leadership excluded their scientific work, re-wrote their
initial report, and barred them from adding any further input to the
investigation. The inspectors' evidence and the high-level campaign to bury
it came to light through a series of leaks that began in May 2019. OPCW
leadership has retaliated against the two by falsely portrayed them as rogue
actors with only minor roles in the investigation and incomplete
information.
The statement by the new OPCW whistleblower forcefully defends the
inspectors and denounces the campaign by organization leadership to destroy
their reputations.
"The mistreatment of two highly regarded and accomplished professionals can
only be described as abhorrent," the OPCW official wrote. "I fully support
their endeavours, in that it is for the greater good and not for personal
gain or in the name of any political agenda. They are in fact trying to
protect the integrity of the organisation which has been hijacked and
brought into shameful disrepute."
One of the two whistleblowing former inspectors has been identified
publicly. He is Ian Henderson, a 12-year veteran of the organization and
weapons expert. Henderson led on-the-ground inspections in Douma and
conducted a detailed engineering study of gas cylinders found at the scene.
He concluded that the cylinders were likely "manually placed" rather than
being dropped by air - a finding that suggests the attack was staged on the
ground by the militants who controlled Douma at the time.
The OPCW buried Henderson's study and released a final report that echoed
the version put forward by the US Department of State and British Foreign
Ministry, strongly implying that the cylinders were dropped by the Syrian
military.
The second inspector has not identified themself, and is known only as
Inspector B. This person is a 16-year OPCW veteran who coordinated the OPCW
team's scientific and technical activities in Douma and was the chief author
of the main report - until OPCW leaders seized control of the investigation
and rewrote its findings.
In remarks last month, OPCW Director-General General Fernando Arias
dismissed the pair's scientific work as "erroneous, uninformed, and wrong,"
and insisted that they "could not accept that their views were not backed by
evidence."
In letters published by The Grayzone, the inspectors rebutted Arias' claims
and argued, in B's words, that they in fact "could never accept that a
scientific investigation is not backed by science."
The new OPCW whistleblower stood by the inspectors. "It is quite
unbelievable that valid scientific concerns are being brazenly ignored in
favour of a predetermined narrative," they wrote. "The lack of transparency
in an investigative process with such enormous ramifications is frightful."
The official went on to suggest that fear of retaliation is preventing more
OPCW officials from coming forward. "I am one of many who were stunned and
frightened into silence by the reality how the organisation operates," the
official wrote. "The threat of personal harm is not an illusion, or else
many others would have spoken out by now." The official does not provide
additional details.
Another OPCW veteran, who served in a senior role but no longer works at the
organization, has also warned of severe threats to their security. In a
letter published by The Grayzone, the former senior OPCW official expressed
alarm about a cover-up of the Douma probe and of the intimidation of
dissenting voices. The former official described their tenure at the OPCW as
"the most stressful and unpleasant ones of my life," and voiced concern that
"they will not hesitate to do harm to me and my family."
In their rebuttal letter to Arias, Inspector B complained that Arias' public
statements have left "so many obvious clues, that anyone within the
Organisation (and among many delegations) would have no doubt as to [the
whistleblower's] identities. Such recklessness has created a serious safety
concern."
According to the inspectors, a delegation of US officials visited the OPCW
to apply "unacceptable pressure" on the Douma team to place blame on the
Syrian government for a chemical attack that might not have happened at all.
Both Henderson and Inspector B have called on Arias to allow for a
transparent, scientific hearing where all of the suppressed evidence and
studies can be heard. In their statement, the new OPCW whistleblower echoed
the inspectors' demand.
"The lack of transparency in an investigative process with such enormous
ramifications is frightful," the official wrote. "The allegations of the two
gentlemen urgently need to be thoroughly investigated and the functionality
of the organisation restored."
Full text of statement on Douma scandal from new OPCW whistleblower
As an employee of the OPCW I was horrified and simultaneously unsurprised by
recent events in the organisation. The mistreatment of two highly regarded
and accomplished professionals can only be described as abhorrent. I fully
support their endeavours, in that it is for the greater good and not for
personal gain or in the name of any political agenda. They are in fact
trying to protect the integrity of the organisation which has been hijacked
and brought into shameful disrepute.
Unfortunately this is not a recent occurrence but a continuation of how the
previous Director General and management group were operating. Working in
the organisation has been an eye-opener and the cause of deep professional
shame when I became aware of how a key element of the organisation was and
clearly continues to be mismanaged. I am one of many who were stunned and
frightened into silence by the reality how the organisation operates. The
threat of personal harm is not an illusion, or else many others would have
spoken out by now.
There is still no mechanism at the organisation to enable the calling out of
irregular behaviour to protect the integrity of the organisation. It is
quite unbelievable that valid scientific concerns are being brazenly ignored
in favour of a predetermined narrative. The lack of transparency in an
investigative process with such enormous ramifications is frightful. The
allegations of the two gentlemen urgently need to be thoroughly investigated
and the functionality of the organisation restored.
