THIS SHOULD BE A GLOBAL SCANDAL
Media Silence Marks Ongoing OPCW Cover-Up of Syria Chemical Weapons Scandal
Clearly the U.S. and its allies do not want transparency and open debate
about the OPCW Douma investigation, and one can only conclude that this is
the case because they know full well that their claims cannot be
substantiated. Smears and censorship are the only tactics they have left.
Propaganda Expert Piers Robinson
by Alan Macleod
November 06th, 2020
By Alan Macleod
This should be a global scandal, said journalist Aaron Maté on the
suppression of evidence from experts from the Organization for the
Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in order to push for war in Syria.
This is the U.S. government bombing Syria based on allegations that were
later found by the investigating team to be false. But then once that team
came back to write their report they were pressured by the U.S. government
and had their evidence censored.
Unfortunately, it has not become a global scandal. With very few exceptions,
media across the spectrum have refused to report on the fact that the
respected Nobel Peace Prize-winning body appears to be suppressing its own
experts findings on Syria to suit Washingtons agenda. There has been no
mention of the continuing scandal in The New York Times, Washington Post,
CNN, CNBC, or MSNBC. Even alternative media like Democracy Now! Have made
only fleeting reference to it. Since that censorship there has been a
complete media censorship by everybody
all the major networks. Even
adversarial progressive networks, Maté added.
Perhaps the most notable case of omission, however, was Newsweek. Journalist
Tared Haddad attempted to cover the story but was continually rebuffed by
higher-ups who squashed his reporting. Haddad ended up very publicly
quitting, rather than allow the scandal to be brushed under the carpet.
It is certainly not a lack of facts or evidence that is stopping mainstream
media from reporting the issue, Piers Robinson, co-director of the
Organization for Propaganda Studies told MintPress, but covering it would
force mainstream media outlets to ask challenging questions of the U.S., UK,
and French governments as well as the OPCW itself. Thus, readers would be
forgiven for not knowing the details of what happened.
Inside Journalist Tareq Haddad's Spectacular Departure from Newsweek
In an exposé essay that doubles as a goodbye to the profession, Newsweek
journalist Tareq Haddad explained why he very publicly quit his job.
MintPress News | Alan Macleod | Dec 20, 2019
The birth of a cover-up
In April 2018, dozens of people were found dead in a suspected chemical
weapons attack in the Damascus suburb of Douma. The United States government
and its allies immediately blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and
responded with rounds of airstrikes, bombing targets around the country.
Support for the action was bi-partisan and enjoyed widespread media
approval. In fact, a survey by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting found that
not one of the top 100 U.S. newspapers by circulation opposed the Trump
administrations response.
A team from the OPCW was sent to Douma to investigate the incident. Its
report gave some credence to Washingtons accusations. While far from
conclusive, it did suggest that it was likely that there was indeed some
form of chemical weapons used, possibly an air attack that involved dropping
chlorine canisters on the city. Although the OPCW refused to speculate on
who was responsible, the suggestion of an aerial strike indicated Syrian
government forces, the most equipped for such an attack, were to blame.
The report was seized upon by the Trump administration and the media (often
the last time the organization has been mentioned in their pages) as
justification for U.S. actions. However, its credibility was quickly
undermined by the leaking of internal memos from experts on the ground who
claimed that their opinions had been censored and that in their estimation,
the canisters were likely placed at the site of the incident, suggesting an
inside job from American-allied forces.
Senior OPCW officials reportedly ordered the removal of all traces of
dissenting opinion from the published document, however. The organizations
first president, Brazilian diplomat Jose Bustani, expressed his grave
concerns over the news, fearing the OPCW, which was founded in 1997 to
represent all 193 of its member states, had become a tool of the U.S.
government.
The scandal continued to grow throughout 2020 as OPCW experts came forward
to give testimony as to how their findings had been completely manipulated
or ignored in order to present a one-sided, incorrect view of events in
order to further an agenda.
Things reached a fever pitch last month, however, when Bustani was invited
to speak at the United Nations Security Council about his concerns but was
blocked by the United States and its allies on the basis that he was not in
a position to provide expert details about chemical weapons or the attack.
What has happened now is yet more sad proof that Western delegations fear
the uncomfortable truth, said Russias ambassador to the UN, Vassily
Nebenzia. The Russian delegation subsequently read out Bustanis testimony.
In doing so, it was accused of undermining the legitimacy of the tribunal.
An impenetrable wall of silence
Bustani claimed the truth was being deliberately hidden behind an
impenetrable wall of silence and opacity, making any meaningful dialogue
impossible.
Regardless of whether or not there is substance to the concerns raised about
the OPCWs behaviour in the Douma investigation, hearing what your own
inspectors have to say would be an important first step in mending the
Organisations damaged reputation. The dissenting inspectors are not
claiming to be right, but they do want to be given a fair hearing. As one
Director General to another, I respectfully request that you grant them this
opportunity, he concluded.
The censoring of a respected former head of the OPCW is the latest in a sad
string of attempts to keep the public wildly misinformed about what really
took place in Douma in 2018, Haddad told MintPress,
Although much of what took place has now been established beyond all doubt,
the OPCWs frankly childish approach to addressing this incident shows how
politicized this body has become, severely undermining its impartiality and
credibility going forward. These are developments that should be deeply
concerning to everyone, especially given that the real perpetrators of
chemical weapons attacks are now that much more likely to go unpunished.
This is not the first time that Bustani has run afoul of the U.S.
government. In 2002, he was unlawfully removed from his position as
director-general of the OPCW after contradicting U.S. claims over weapons of
mass destruction in Iraq. The Bush administration under Secretary of State
John Bolton threatened to kill his family if he did not resign; You have 24
hours to leave the organization, and if you dont comply with this decision
by Washington, we have ways to retaliate against you. We know where your
kids live, Bolton told him.
The U.S. has used the Douma attack as justification for increasing sanctions
on Syria, a country where at least 83%of people live below the poverty line,
according to the UN. Over 13 million people are in need of humanitarian
assistance. This summer, the World Food Program also warned of a potential
widespread famine inside the country. Sanctions have made the importation of
foods and medicine profoundly difficult, further immiserating a society
already devastated from nine years of brutal civil war, in which virtually
every world and regional power has fueled the fighting. Ultimately, it is
the Syrian people who are caught in the crossfire.
The bottom line from this story, Robinson stated, is that, clearly the
U.S. and its allies do not want transparency and open debate about the OPCW
Douma investigation, and one can only conclude that this is the case because
they know full well that their claims cannot be substantiated. Smears and
censorship are the only tactics they have left.
