#Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)

[beardedmrbean]

The US has accused Russia of deploying chemical weapons as a "method of warfare" in Ukraine, in violation of international laws banning their use.

State department officials said Russia used the choking agent chloropicrin to win "battlefield gains" over Ukraine.

The allegations, which US officials said were not an "isolated" incident, would contravene the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which Russia signed.

The Kremlin rejected the accusations, calling them "baseless".

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow that Russia stood by its obligations under the CWC, which prohibits states from developing or acquiring new weapons. Some 193 states have ratified the convention.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a global watchdog that oversees implementation of the CWC, says a chemical weapon is a substance used to cause intentional death or harm through its toxic properties.

Chloropicrin - which the US says Russia has used to "dislodge Ukrainian forces from fortified positions" - is an oily substance which was widely used during World War One. It causes irritation of the lungs, eyes and skin and can cause vomiting, nausea and diarrhoea, according to the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

The chemical's use in war is expressly banned under the CWC, and is listed as a choking agent by the OPCW.

The state department also said Moscow had regularly used "riot control agents," or tear gas, during the war.

President Joe Biden has previously warned Russia against deploying chemical weapons in Ukraine. In March 2022, weeks after Moscow launched its invasion, Mr Biden vowed that President Vladimir Putin would pay a "severe price" if he did authorise the use of chemical weapons.

"We would respond if he uses it. The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use," Mr Biden said.

But there have been consistent reports that Moscow has ignored that warning. US Assistant Secretary for Arms Control Mallory Stewart has previously said Russia was using riot control agents in the conflict.

And Ukraine says its troops have faced mounting chemical attacks in recent months. The Reuters news agency reported earlier this year that Russian forces had used grenades loaded with CS and CN tear gases.

The report added that at least 500 Ukrainian soldiers have been treated for exposure to toxic gases, and that one had died after suffocating on tear gas.

Three Russian bodies linked to the country's biological and chemical weapons programme were sanctioned by the state department for their links to the production of chemical agents. Other firms that contributed to the government entities were also sanctioned.

How will we know if Russia used chemical weapons?

Nato will respond if Russia uses chemical weapons, warns Biden

US 'deeply concerned' at report of Mariupol chemical attack

In 2017, the OPCW said Russia had destroyed the last of its Cold War-era stockpile of the weapons, as required under the CWC.

But Moscow has since been accused of making incomplete declarations of its stockpile, according to the UK's House of Commons library.

Since 2017, Russia has been accused of at least two chemical attacks - the Salisbury attack on a former Soviet intelligence officer and the 2020 poisoning of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The allegations come as part of a broader tranche of US sanctions which targeted 30 individuals, including three people officials say were involved in Navalny's death.

The men are all officials at the Siberian prison colony where the opposition activist died earlier this year. Russia denies involvement in the opposition leader's death. Navalny's widow has accused President Putin of killing him.

Meanwhile, Russian forces in eastern Ukraine have continued their steady advance ahead of Victory Day celebrations on 9 May - the holiday commemorating Soviet victory in World War Two.

Much of the fighting has been taking place around Chasiv Yar, a Kyiv-controlled stronghold which Russia has been trying to reach after seizing the city of Avdiivka. It is thought Moscow wants to seize the town ahead of next week's celebrations.

It comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the head of Ukraine's Security Service's (SBU) cyber-security department, Illya Vityuk, amid allegations that he tried to use his position to punish a Ukrainian journalist who had reported on allegations of corruption against him.

The reporter was subsequently summoned to a military recruitment centre, prompting military chief Col Gen Oleksandr Syrskyi to launch an investigation.

Elsewhere, Human Rights Watch - a non-governmental organisation - has called for a war crimes investigation after it unearthed evidence that Russian forces executed over a dozen surrendering Ukrainian troops. The events allegedly occurred between December 2023 and February 2024, the body said in a statement.

[oscarfredypossovitali]

Post-Assad Syria Faces Critical Test Over Eliminating Chemical Weapons.

A Child's Plush Toy Lies in the Ruins of a Home in Ghouta, Which Was the Site of a Deadly Chemical Attack in 2013. More a Thousand People Were Killed and Many More Injured.

UNICEF/Al Shami.

A Child's Plush Toy Lies in the Ruins of a Home in Ghouta, Which Was the Site of a Deadly Chemical Attack in 2013. More a Thousand People Were Killed and Many More Injured.

By Vibhu Mishra

March 7 2025. Peace and Security.

The Fall of the Assad Regime Has Created a Historic Opportunity to Rid Syria of Chemical Weapons and Ensure Long-Term Compliance With the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the UN’s Top Disarmament Official Told the Security Council on Friday.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.13 (after 1940)

1942 – Henry Ford patents a soybean car, which is 30% lighter than a regular car. 1942 – World War II: First use of an aircraft ejection seat by a German test pilot in a Heinkel He 280 jet fighter. 1950 – British submarine HMS Truculent collides with an oil tanker in the Thames Estuary, killing 64 men. 1950 – Finland forms diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. 1951 – First Indochina War: The Battle of Vĩnh Yên begins. 1953 – An article appears in Pravda accusing some of the most prestigious and prominent doctors, mostly Jews, in the Soviet Union of taking part in a vast plot to poison members of the top Soviet political and military leadership. 1958 – The Moroccan Army of Liberation ambushes a Spanish patrol in the Battle of Edchera. 1963 – Coup d'état in Togo results in the assassination of president Sylvanus Olympio. 1964 – Anti-Muslim riots break out in Calcutta, in response to anti-Hindu riots in East Pakistan. About one hundred people are killed. 1964 – In Manchester, New Hampshire, fourteen-year-old Pamela Mason is murdered. Edward Coolidge is tried and convicted of the crime, but the conviction is set aside by the landmark Fourth Amendment case Coolidge v. New Hampshire (1971). 1966 – Robert C. Weaver becomes the first African American Cabinet member when he is appointed United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 1968 – Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison. 1972 – Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward Akufo-Addo of Ghana are ousted in a bloodless military coup by Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong. 1977 – Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045, a Douglas DC-8 jet, crashes onto the runway during takeoff from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, killing five. 1978 – United States Food and Drug Administration requires all blood donations to be labeled "paid" or "volunteer" donors. 1982 – Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737 jet, crashes into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78 including four motorists. 1985 – A passenger train plunges into a ravine in Ethiopia, killing 428 in the worst railroad disaster in Africa. 1986 – A month-long violent struggle begins in Aden, South Yemen between supporters of Ali Nasir Muhammad and Abdul Fattah Ismail, resulting in thousands of casualties. 1988 – Lee Teng-hui becomes the first native Taiwanese President of the Republic of China. 1990 – Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office as Governor of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia. 1991 – Soviet Union troops attack Lithuanian independence supporters in Vilnius, killing 14 people and wounding around 1,000 others. 1993 – Space Shuttle program: Endeavour heads for space for the third time as STS-54 launches from the Kennedy Space Center. 1993 – The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is signed. 1993 – Operation Southern Watch: U.S.A.F., U.S.N., R.A.F. and French Air Force jets attack AAA and SAM sites in Southern Iraq. 1998 – Alfredo Ormando sets himself on fire in St. Peter's Square, protesting against homophobia. 2000 – A Short 360 aircraft chartered by the Sirte Oil Company crashes off the coast of Brega, Libya, killing 21. 2001 – An earthquake hits El Salvador, killing more than 800. 2012 – The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia sinks off the coast of Italy due to the captain Francesco Schettino's negligence and irresponsibility. There are 32 confirmed deaths. 2018 – A false emergency alert warning of an impending missile strike in Hawaii causes widespread panic in the state. 2020 – The Thai Ministry of Public Health confirms the first case of COVID-19 outside China. 2021 – Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump is impeached for a second time on a charge of incitement of insurrection following the January 6 United States Capitol attack one week prior.

[agreenroad]

Why Is Israel Not Being Held to the Same International Standards as All Other UN Member States? - No NPT, NO CWC, No OPCW, No BWC, No Geneva Convention, Plus Genocide & Apartheid Is Perfectly OK

Why Is Israel Not Being Held to the Same International Standards as All Other UN Member States? Why is Israel not subject to the regulation and inspection of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of the United Nations? Why is Israel not a party to the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Why is Israel not a party to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons…

[news365timesindia]

[ad_1] GG News Bureau New Delhi, 28th Nov. The Indian Chemical Council (ICC) has been honored with the 2024 OPCW-The Hague Award during the 29th Session of the Conference of the States Parties of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague on November 25. This marks the first time a chemical industry body has received this distinguished recognition. The award was presented by OPCW Director-General Ambassador Fernando Arias and Mayor Jan van Zanen of The Hague. ICC Director General D. Sothi Selvam accepted the accolade in the presence of delegates from 193 States Parties and global chemical industry experts. The OPCW-The Hague Award was established in 2014 to honor individuals and organizations advancing the goals of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). India, an original signatory to the 1997 Convention, has been at the forefront of promoting chemical safety and security, with the National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention (NACWC) playing a pivotal role in national implementation. ICC, representing over 80% of India’s $220 billion chemical industry, has been recognized for its efforts in chemical safety, compliance, and transportation security. Key initiatives include the ‘Nicer Globe’ platform for real-time monitoring of chemical transportation and the promotion of safety practices through its ‘Responsible Care’ program. The post Indian Chemical Council Wins Prestigious 2024 OPCW-The Hague Award appeared first on Global Governance News- Asia's First Bilingual News portal for Global News and Updates. [ad_2] Source link

[news365times]

[ad_1] GG News Bureau New Delhi, 28th Nov. The Indian Chemical Council (ICC) has been honored with the 2024 OPCW-The Hague Award during the 29th Session of the Conference of the States Parties of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague on November 25. This marks the first time a chemical industry body has received this distinguished recognition. The award was presented by OPCW Director-General Ambassador Fernando Arias and Mayor Jan van Zanen of The Hague. ICC Director General D. Sothi Selvam accepted the accolade in the presence of delegates from 193 States Parties and global chemical industry experts. The OPCW-The Hague Award was established in 2014 to honor individuals and organizations advancing the goals of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). India, an original signatory to the 1997 Convention, has been at the forefront of promoting chemical safety and security, with the National Authority Chemical Weapons Convention (NACWC) playing a pivotal role in national implementation. ICC, representing over 80% of India’s $220 billion chemical industry, has been recognized for its efforts in chemical safety, compliance, and transportation security. Key initiatives include the ‘Nicer Globe’ platform for real-time monitoring of chemical transportation and the promotion of safety practices through its ‘Responsible Care’ program. The post Indian Chemical Council Wins Prestigious 2024 OPCW-The Hague Award appeared first on Global Governance News- Asia's First Bilingual News portal for Global News and Updates. [ad_2] Source link

[swissforextrading]

International training course on assistance and protection against chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial chemicals

Trainers from the NBC EOD Centre of Competence will teach the basics of chemical emergency survival to 25 representatives from States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The State Secretariat for Security Policy (SEPOS) is coordinating the course in cooperation with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-101710.html (Source of the original content)

[honesty-my-policy]

Israel breaking international law? Where?

Israel is breaking international human rights law and International Humanitarian Law (IHL) as an occupying power by not providing aid, food, water and shelter to the people of Gaza.

Also, by attacking the civilian population using prohibited weapons like white phosphorus in blatant breach of core provisions under the Geneva and Hague Conventions.

Also, via the Israeli government's discriminatory policy of restricting access to land for housing for Palestinians.

Also, by contravening Art. 49 of the GCIV which prohibits an occupying power from forcibly displacing civilians into the occupied territory via Israel's illegal settlement policy.

I could go on, but there are far too many examples to list. If you actually cared and were open to learn, you would find this information at official sources via the quickest of Google searches.

Israel has been letting aid into Gaza. HAMAS has been stealing it.

https://twitter.com/Jewtastic/status/1734683709184581905?t=wQp-fVBnOkOa4_nWFYbAmA&s=19

In conclusion, neither Protocol III nor the CWC bans white phosphorus munitions. White phosphorus does not meet the definition of an “incendiary weapon” under Protocol III. And, even if it did, Israel is not a party to the Protocol nor are the treaty’s restrictions customary in character. Similarly, white phosphorus does not fall within the CWC’s definition of a “chemical weapon.”

Source: https://lieber.westpoint.edu/white-phosphorus-and-international-law/

Not a single Jew would be allowed in any future Palestinian country. Want to know what happens to Jews that have tried to live in Palestine?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Ramallah_lynching

As stated in the article above the Wikipedia link, Israel is not party to the protocol you are referencing.

ART. 49. — Individual or mass forcible transfers, as well as deportations of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the Occupying Power or to that of any other country, occupied or not, are prohibited, regardless of their motive.

Nevertheless, the Occupying Power may undertake total or partial evacuation of a given area if the security of the population or imperative military reasons so demand. Such evacuations may not involve the displacement of protected persons outside the bounds of the occupied territory except when for material reasons it is impossible to avoid such displacement.

Persons thus evacuated shall be transferred back to their homes as soon as hostilities in the area in question have ceased. The Occupying Power undertaking such transfers or evacuations shall ensure, to the greatest practicable extent, that proper accommodation is provided to receive the protected persons, that the removals are effected in satisfactory conditions of hygiene, health, safety and nutrition, and that members of the same family are not separated. The Protecting Power shall be informed of any transfers and evacuations as soon as they have taken place. The Occupying Power shall not detain protected persons in an area particularly exposed to the dangers of war unless the security of the population or imperative military reasons so demand. The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.

It's almost like you haven't actually read it.

Now stop bothering me I'm done responding to you. Especially on anon.

[thxnews]

Chemical Weapons Convention: Securing a Safer Tomorrow

  Reflecting on 2023: Achievements and Persistent Threats

Addressing the 28th Session of the Conference of the States Parties of the OPCW, Her Excellency Joanna Roper, the Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom, commended the organization's accomplishments in 2023 while underscoring ongoing challenges.   Acknowledging Achievements and the Road Ahead Expressing gratitude to the Director-General and the Technical Secretariat for their preparatory efforts, Roper acknowledged the successes of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and the OPCW. Notably, she praised the Centre for Chemistry and Technology's inauguration, a project the UK proudly supports, emphasizing the commitment to international cooperation with a recent pledge of 1.1 million Euros.  

Milestone Achieved, But Not the End

Celebrating the verified destruction of all declared chemical weapon stockpiles in July, Roper recognized it as a significant milestone. However, she cautioned that the story doesn't end there, highlighting the challenges posed by States Parties maintaining chemical weapons programs.   Urgent Concerns: Russia's Actions and Chemical Weapon Allegations Roper raised urgent concerns over Russia's use of chemical weapons, citing incidents in the UK and against Alexey Navalny. She expressed alarm at the Russian use of riot control agents in Ukraine, a clear violation of the CWC. Russia's failure to provide plausible explanations and baseless allegations against Ukraine heighten anxieties.  

Syria's Ongoing Non-Compliance and Irregularities

Turning attention to Syria, Roper lamented the ten-year anniversary of the sarin attack in Ghouta by the Assad Regime. Despite Syria's accession to the CWC in 2013, the regime has been non-compliant, with evidence of ongoing irregularities in its declaration. Roper stressed the global implications of Syria's mishandling of toxic chemicals.   Call to Action: Addressing the Syrian Threat Over 50 States Parties have co-sponsored a Decision proposing additional measures to control toxic chemical transfers to Syria and enhance support for criminal investigations. Roper urged all States Parties to support the decision, emphasizing its potential to reduce the threat of further chemical attacks and proliferation.  

CWC's Success and the Path Forward

While acknowledging the CWC's success, Roper emphasized the need for continued efforts to achieve a world free from chemical weapons. She highlighted the OPCW's vital role in addressing emerging threats from non-state actors amid fast-paced technological developments.   Supporting OPCW: Budget and Global Cooperation Roper called for support for the OPCW's biennial budget, emphasizing it as the minimum needed for the organization's core activities. She stressed the importance of global cooperation to empower the OPCW in fulfilling its mission to eradicate chemical weapons worldwide.   Sources: THX News, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office & Joanna Roper CMG. Read the full article

[meowmaids]

Breaking this down:

While white phosphorus is not officially banned under Geneva conventions nor the chemical weapons convention in war. Israel is not a signatory of the chemical weapons conventions which 'its use in proximity to civilians is restricted under the United Nations CWC'. In the past year Human Rights Watch condemned its use against Palestinians

Injuries of white phosphorus create crater like wounds. Unlike other explosives white phosphorus continues to burn and smoke for extended periods after deployment. This includes when it makes contact with human skin. This property means wounds will progressively get deeper and continue to burn without proper treatment. Patients have second and third degree burns.

A rock collector who mistakenly found and came into prolonged contact with white phosphorus by keeping it in their pocket required skin grafts. * Graphic images contained in this link https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/dog-walker-beach-burns-white-17212580

Knowing that white phosphorus can can cause these horrific injuries consider the statements made:

Signaling to UNIFIL . Israel has the ability to contact UNIFIL. Why would you explode a weapon at a peace keeping mission unless with the express purpose to cause injury? Or destroy buildings, cars, and general area? Or to cause panic? Deploying white phosphorus in a populated area has the potential for anyone in the area to become severely burned.

2. Target. The target was a peace keeping mission's base in a populated area. Israel is targeting innocent people and an innocent peace keeping group under the pretense that they are near an alleged "enemy". Why would you deploy a weapon that harms indiscriminately in a densely populated area? Unless the such an action is made with the choice to allow civilian casualties and death.

In reality Israel is doing this to stop peace keepers from reporting the crimes against humanity and war crimes they are witnessing.

3. Smoke capability. Not only is bombing civilians and UNIFIL unlawful, and the injuries inflicted are horrendous this would be a tactical advantage to.... target more civilians and UNIFIL. So you need cover to do more damage, ambiguity, or deniability of the IDF deploying incendiary weapons against innocent people.

4. Legitimate use in combat operations. Bears repeating civilians and UNIFIL peace keepers were the target. So acceptable and legitimate target to the US are include non combatants

White phosphorus causes serious wounds it should be outlawed for use in war. Clear targeting of UNIFIL is meant to deter observation and accurate reporting on the ground. While terrifying the civilians in their homes! Israels kills civilians with 2,000 pound bombs and JDAMS, . White phosphorus may not function as other bombs but the brutal injuries and inhalation and ingestion is know to be lethal.

Call it what it is! The U.S. is giving the IDF carte blanche to commit war crimes. The U.S. does not stand still as Israel bombs, starves, shoots, sieges, and blockades millions of innocent Palestinians. No the U.S. is providing the weapons used to kill Palestinians. Active participation in genocide

And when confronted with the U.S.'s role in war crimes and genocide someone at the podium proudly if stumbling to assures us it is legitimate use.

Transcribing the clip below

Reporter: We have a story today showing 15 UNIFIL Peacekeepers were injured when the IDF apparently deployed white phosphorus by their base in Southern Lebanon this month. Can I ask what is the DoD's view of the use of white phosphorus in war? And would the Pentagon have any concerns with it used by or near UNIFIL bases

Response: So as far as Israel operations go Tom, I'd have to refer you to them to talk about that. And broadly speaking white phosphorus is used essentially as a signalling you know capability that you can use to hone in on targets. Or to provide smoke capability. Ugh but yea. So it does have a legitimate use in combat operations

[my-livinglegend]

Islamic Republic is using banned chemical weapons against its own citizens. This is the cartridge of a CS gas which was banned in 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). This was used in Piranshahr of West Azerbaijan province.

[oscarfredypossovitali]

Post-Assad Syria Faces Critical Test Over Eliminating Chemical Weapons.

A Child's Plush Toy Lies in the Ruins of a Home in Ghouta, Which Was the Site of a Deadly Chemical Attack in 2013. More a Thousand People Were Killed and Many More Injured.

UNICEF/Al Shami.

A Child's Plush Toy Lies in the Ruins of a Home in Ghouta, Which Was the Site of a Deadly Chemical Attack in 2013. More a Thousand People Were Killed and Many More Injured.

By Vibhu Mishra

March 7 2025. Peace and Security.

The Fall of the Assad Regime Has Created a Historic Opportunity to Rid Syria of Chemical Weapons and Ensure Long-Term Compliance With the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), the UN’s Top Disarmament Official Told the Security Council on Friday.

[brookstonalmanac]

Events 1.13 (after 1940)

1942 – Henry Ford patents a soybean car, which is 30% lighter than a regular car. 1942 – World War II: First use of an aircraft ejection seat by a German test pilot in a Heinkel He 280 jet fighter. 1950 – British submarine HMS Truculent collides with an oil tanker in the Thames Estuary, killing 64 men. 1950 – Finland forms diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. 1951 – First Indochina War: The Battle of Vĩnh Yên begins. 1953 – An article appears in Pravda accusing some of the most prestigious and prominent doctors, mostly Jews, in the Soviet Union of taking part in a vast plot to poison members of the top Soviet political and military leadership. 1958 – The Moroccan Army of Liberation ambushes a Spanish patrol in the Battle of Edchera. 1963 – Coup d'état in Togo results in the assassination of president Sylvanus Olympio. 1964 – Anti-Muslim riots break out in Calcutta, in response to anti-Hindu riots in East Pakistan. About one hundred people are killed. 1964 – In Manchester, New Hampshire, fourteen-year-old Pamela Mason is murdered. Edward Coolidge is tried and convicted of the crime, but the conviction is set aside by the landmark Fourth Amendment case Coolidge v. New Hampshire (1971). 1966 – Robert C. Weaver becomes the first African American Cabinet member when he is appointed United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 1968 – Johnny Cash performs live at Folsom State Prison. 1972 – Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia and President Edward Akufo-Addo of Ghana are ousted in a bloodless military coup by Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong. 1977 – Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045, a Douglas DC-8 jet, crashes onto the runway during takeoff from Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, killing five. 1978 – United States Food and Drug Administration requires all blood donations to be labeled "paid" or "volunteer" donors. 1982 – Shortly after takeoff, Air Florida Flight 90, a Boeing 737 jet, crashes into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge and falls into the Potomac River, killing 78 including four motorists. 1985 – A passenger train plunges into a ravine in Ethiopia, killing 428 in the worst railroad disaster in Africa. 1986 – A month-long violent struggle begins in Aden, South Yemen between supporters of Ali Nasir Muhammad and Abdul Fattah Ismail, resulting in thousands of casualties. 1988 – Lee Teng-hui becomes the first native Taiwanese President of the Republic of China. 1990 – Douglas Wilder becomes the first elected African American governor as he takes office as Governor of Virginia in Richmond, Virginia. 1991 – Soviet Union troops attack Lithuanian independence supporters in Vilnius, killing 14 people and wounding around 1,000 others. 1993 – Space Shuttle program: Endeavour heads for space for the third time as STS-54 launches from the Kennedy Space Center. 1993 – The Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is signed. 1993 – Operation Southern Watch: U.S.A.F., U.S.N., R.A.F. and French Air Force jets attack AAA and SAM sites in Southern Iraq. 1998 – Alfredo Ormando sets himself on fire in St. Peter's Square, protesting against homophobia. 2000 – A Short 360 aircraft chartered by the Sirte Oil Company crashes off the coast of Brega, Libya, killing 21. 2001 – An earthquake hits El Salvador, killing more than 800. 2012 – The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia sinks off the coast of Italy due to the captain Francesco Schettino's negligence and irresponsibility. There are 32 confirmed deaths. 2018 – A false emergency alert warning of an impending missile strike in Hawaii causes widespread panic in the state. 2020 – The Thai Ministry of Public Health confirms the first case of COVID-19 outside China. 2021 – Outgoing U.S. President Donald Trump is impeached for a second time on a charge of incitement of insurrection following the January 6 United States Capitol attack one week prior.

[lupine-publishers-lojpcr]

Lupine Publishers | Salisbury, Novichok and the OPCW

https://lupinepublishers.com/pharmacology-clinical-research-journal/

Lupine Publishers | LOJ Pharmacology & Clinical Research 

Abstract

The poisoning of a former russian spy in Salisbury, England, in march 2018, led to the Discovery of several chemical weapons not included in the Chemical Weapons Convention, allegedly developed by the URSS and not declared by Russia. This, in some way, has made diplomatic pressure to modify the lists of chemicals forbbiden or controle by the CWC, with some reluctancia by the russian government and some of their alias. The Organización for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has started actions to include novichok agents in the lists of prohibited agents. This is the story.

Keywords: Novichok; Nerve Agents; Poisons; OPCW; Skripal; Salisbury

The Beggining

In the spring of 2018, Sergei Skripal (former russian spy) and his daughter Yulia, started to feel ill. It was found that they were poisoned with a chemical hard to identify; however, an excellent chemical analysis let the analytical team to say that the chemical(s) employed were some nerve agents that were not included in the control lists establishers in the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), however, this compounds are chemical weapons of a new class, never declared by any state party member of the CWC. The scientists arrived at the conclusión that the chemicals employed belong to a group of nerve agents known as Novichok. These chemicals act as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, same as VX or Sarin, but more tonics (it is said that eight times as poisonous as VX, and with effects as rapid as 30 seconds [1-4].

According to Al Jazeera, Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious on a bench outside a mall in Salisbury on March 4, 2018, poisoned. Skripal is a former Russian military intelligence officer accused of spying for the United Kingdom. He was imprisoned in 2006, and later was part of an exchange program for Russian citizens accused of espionage in the United States. He was granted asylum in the United Kingdom. It is considered that the poisoning was made through the knob of the main door of his house, since that was the place where the highest concentration of nerve agent was found. The first actions of the british government included that 23 undeclared Russian intelligence officers were expelled from the UK. Before the analysis of the evidence gave a confirmation of the agent employed, a police officer who visited the Skripal’s home was admited in a hospital with symptoms characteristic with a nerve agent poisoning [5]. In the end, these three victims were capable of recovery. Several weeks later some civilians were found with similar medical condition in Amesbury, a town about 11 km from Salisbury. Charlie Rowley found a fake Premier Jour (Nina Ricci) parfume bottle that he recovered and gave to his wife, Dawn Sturges’. They assambled the atomizer and she applied the liquid in her wrists. And so, they were contaminated. The bottle contained not parfume but a nerve agent. This case was tested as terrorism by the british authorities [6]. Dawn went into ICU at Salisbury Hospital and died a week later. Charlie survived and was released from the hospital, but several days later he was admitted again with an acute case of meningitis and blindness, and unable to move his left arm. On March 12 Theresa May declared: “Either this was a direct action of the Russian State towards our country, or the russian government lost control over the substance with the potential for catastrophic destruction and allowed it to fall into the hands of others. On april 2018, scientists from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed the presence of Novichok in biological sampling from the Skripals as well as from the site of the presumed contamination. On september of the same year, a couple of suspects were identified, two russian citizens members of the russian intelligence body (GRU), that flew from Moscow to London just two days prior to the Skripal poisoning and were in Salisbury for only 30 minutes. They were identified as Alexander Mishkin, and Anatoly Chepiga Both were honored for their actions in Ukraine [7].

International Reacticos

This situation led to a series of diplomatic actions from several countries: USA expelled 60 russians from its territorial, including 12 officials from the Russia UN misión; UK made the same with 34 russian diplomats. Other EU countries expelled 34 diplomats, Ukraine did the same with 13 diplomats, the OTAN expelled 7 and other countries around the world added for 13 more expelled diplomats [8,9]. On its side, Russia retaliated by expelling 23 british diplomats and 60 from USA. And something bizarre: the russian government conducted a Twitter poll to let the russian people determine which USA consulate was to be closed. The winner was the St. Peterburg one.

In The 1970 Decade, the Soviets had a Nerve Agents Development Program Known as Folinate, that Intended to have Chemicals that were:

a) Non detected by conventional detection OTAN instrumentos;

b) Capable of penétrate the soldares’ body, even with full protecting clothes;

c) Safer to preparation, handling and storage.

By the end of the 1990 decade, the russian government was looking that this chemicals or their precursors were not mentioned by the CWC.

What we know and what we don’t:

Most of what we understood as of 2018 of Novichok agents comes from testimony and memoirs of Dr. Vil S. Mirzayanov, the Chief of the Department of Counteraction against Foreign Technical Intelligence at the Russian State Union Scientific Research Institute for Organic Chemistry and Technology (Gonio) [10]. In 1995, The Stimson Center published a document: Chemical weapons disarmament in Russia: Problems and prospects. 1995, The Stimson Center, consisting of several essays written by various specialists in chemical weapons and in Russia. Particularly, Mirzayanov wrote a paper: Dismantling the Soviet/Russian Chemical Weapons Complex: An Insider’s View. This can be read in this paper, Mirzayanov wrote that the soviets in 1978 finished the construction of a large facility for nerve agent’s production, with capacity to make 20,000 tons annually, and that they produced 15,000 tons of a chemical called Substance 33, similar to the nerve agent VX. He mentions a group of chemicals with the names A-230, A-232, and the series of chemicals called Novichok, intended to be handled as binary weapons, in response to the US Big Eye project, to produce Sarin in a binary way [11,12]. These Novichok chemicals (basically Substance 33, A-230 and A-232, as well as others named Novichok-5, Novichok-7 and a no-name Novichok, tested 1988-19989) were never mentioned in bilateral Memorandums of Understanding designed to promote mutual transparency among URSS/Russia and USA about chemical weapons programs.

Jonathan Tucker informed in 2000, that Russia denied any production of Novichok, but also signed an agreement with the Syria government to create a syrian center for chemical weapons defense, under the cover of a Syrian Center of Ecological Protection, and reports that three russian scientists working in that center were involved on the novichok program; Tucker also says that in 1999 a London based arabic newspaper reported that some Syrian missile warheads were loaded with VX and a novel agent called novichok [13]. So, for as long as 24 years the name novichok has been in the chemical weapons universe, but for over 20 of those years it was some kind of urban legend, untill 2018 when it surfaced publicly and with a lot of noise [14]. We now know that it is another chemical that interferes with the metabolism of the neuro transmitter acetylcholine, binding to the acetylcholinesterase enzyme, and that can result in death. And a recent technical report informs that it is much more toxic than VX because novichok (in a theoretical computer simulation) has fewer conformers than VX; while VX shows 6561 conformers, the novichok A-234 shows 486 and A-230 shows only 54, which leads to a faster binding among the neurotoxic agent and the acetylcholinesterase enzyme that governs the metabolic transformation of acetylcholinesterase.

Novichok and the OPCW

In the sixteenth session of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) of the OPCW, 4-6 April 2011, on the agenda item elevenNovel toxic compounds, two of the points discussed were related to novichok. I will reproduce them completelly, according to the published report. 11.1 The Chairperson introduced the topic of new toxic compounds that are not included in the schedules of chemicals. This has been attracting increasing attention in recent years, particularly among non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Although very little information has appeared in the public domain, there have been claims that a new class of nerve agents, known as “Novichoks”, has been developed. In December 2008, a former defence scientist published a book, which included information on structures reported to be those of the new agents. Some of these structures meet the criteria for Schedule 2 B4 (S2 B4); however, all others are non-scheduled chemicals [15]. The author claimed that the toxicity of certain “Novichok” agents may exceed that of VX. 11.2 In a discussion of the issue, SAB members emphasised that, to date, there has been no confirmation of the author’s claims, nor has any peer review been undertaken in regard to the information on these chemicals in the scientific literature on this subject. The SAB noted that those chemicals containing a phosphorus atom to which is bonded one methyl, ethyl or propyl (normal or iso) group but not further carbon atoms would be declarable as S2 B4 chemicals above a threshold of one tone [11]. The SAB asked the Secretariat if such chemicals had ever been declared. The Secretariat replied that it has no record of any such declarations. With respect to nonscheduled chemicals relevant to “Novichoks”, it was noted that for declarations under the other chemical production facility (OCPF) regime, the name of the chemical is not required, and therefore, the Secretariat would not be able to determine (from declarations received) if there are facilities producing “Novichok” agents that are also non-scheduled chemicals. So, as can be seen, the OPCW had an early information, but the internal procedures stablished by the CWC did not permit the organization to go further. However, the SAB understood that it was a serious danger and started working in two areas intended to prevent the resurgement of the chemical weapons, that is, education and outreach.

Because the Salisbury incident, the OPCW made an investigation and concluded (12 april 2018) that it was a toxic agent the chemical employed against Skripal and his daughter, that the identity of this toxic chemical coincided with the one obtained in UK analysis, and that it was of high purity. The name and stucture of the identified toxic chemical are contained in a classified report of the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW, available only to CWC States Parties. On 2 May 2018, the OPCW Director General made a request for information from States Parties on new types of nerve agents, supported by the 12 april report; in the same date, the Director General made an equal request from the SAB [16]. Later, on 4 september 2018, a report from the OPCW Technical Secretariat the findings were that the analysis of a simple of the small bottle found by Charles Rowley and Dawn Sturgess showed that the simple consisted of the same toxic chemical found in the Skripal’s simple, with a concentration of 97-98%. Once again, the name and chemical structure of the toxic chemicals identified are contained in the full confidential report that the Technocal Secretariat of the OPCW made available to all State Parties. The Russian position was that, since novichok was not listed in the prohibited substances, there was no violation of the CWC.

On october 2018, Russia’s military intelligence service (GRU) was accused of a hacking intent against OPCW headquarters, which led to four russians being expelled from The Netherlands after this alleged cyber strike. This came after UK government accused the GRU of some other cyber-attacks across the whole globe. A proposal made jointly by Canada, The Netherlands and the United States was revised in a OPCW Executive Council and in January of 2019 was adopted by the council, so was informed by Sabine Nolde, Canada’s representative, and confirmed the Dutch foreign ministry. This opened a 90 days period to object or make observations to this adopted proposal. In april of 2019 it was expected that the majority of the OPCW members would vote supporting the addition of novichok in the annex of the CWC forbidding some substances.

Conclusion

This kind of poisoning actions by Russia is not new, just remember the Alexander Litvinenko’s murder. This whole case shows that no matter the compromise of an international agreement to ban weapons of mass destruction, there will always be rogué states or groups of non-state actors willing to produce and use them; so, the OPCW must be fiercely supported by all nations and all people concerned with global peace and understanding.

https://lupinepublishers.com/pharmacology-clinical-research-journal/fulltext/salisbury-novichok-and-the-opcw.ID.000118.php

https://lupinepublishers.com/pharmacology-clinical-research-journal/pdf/LOJPCR.MS.ID.000118.pdf

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[kneedeepincynade]

Rules for thee but not for me is a much more fitting slogan for the US than "in God we trust" looking at how the wreched nation behaves

The post is machine translated

Translation is at the bottom

The collective is on telegram

⚠️ TAN KEFEI: "GLI USA SONO L'UNICO PAESE A NON AVER DISTRUTTO IL SUO ARSENALE DI ARMI CHIMICHE, PUR AVENDO SOTTOSCRITTO LA CONVENZIONE CWC" ⚠️

🇨🇳 Il Colonnello Tan Kefei - Portavoce del Ministero della Difesa Nazionale della Repubblica Popolare Cinese - ha dichiarato, in una Conferenza Stampa, che la Cina spera che gli USA mantengano il loro impegno di completare la distruzione delle sue scorte di armi chimiche entro l'Autunno del 2023:

💬 "La CWC [Convenzione sulle Armi Chimiche] funge da fondamento cruciale per la Governance della Sicurezza nel Mondo. La distruzione delle armi chimiche è sia l'obiettivo principale della Convenzione, sia il principale obbligo degli Stati contraenti" 🐰

🤔 Nella stipulazione della Convenzione vi era scritto di portare a complimento la distruzione delle scorte di armi chimiche entro 10 Anni dalla sua promulgazione, nel 1997 🐰

😡L'unico Paese, al Mondo, a non aver distrutto le proprie scorte di armi chimiche, pur avendo firmato e ratificato la "Convenzione sulla Proibizione dello Sviluppo, della Produzione, dello Atoccaggio e dell'Uso di Armi Chimiche e sulla loro Distruzione" sono gli Stati Uniti d'America:

💬 "Nel 26 Anni dall'entrata in vigore della Convenzione, oltre il 99% delle scorte globali di armi chimiche sono state distrutte, con SETTE Stati su OTTO che dichiarano la completa distruzione delle scorte. Gli USA sono, attualmente, l'UNICO Paese che mantiene ancora scorte di armi chimiche" 😡

🇯🇵 Inoltre, il Giappone Neo-Militarista, sempre più subalterno agli USA, ritarda costantemente il processo di distruzione delle velenose armi chimiche abbandonate in Cina fin dai tempi della loro violenta aggressione in Cina:

💬 "La Cina sollecita il Giappone a rafforzare il suo senso d'urgenza e aumentare gli investimenti per distruggere tali armi il prima possibile, in modo pulito e completo" ⭐️

🤡 Gli imperialisti USA hanno sempre puntato il dito contro altri Paesi, accusandoli - senza prove - di aver sviluppato, se non addirittura utilizzato, armi chimiche e biologiche: dalla falsa affermazione sostenuta da una fialetta con del "detersivo in polvere" che ha posto le basi per l'illegale Guerra in Iraq, alle ridicole falsità artificialmente costruite dai White Helmets (finanziati dagli Stati Uniti) contro la Siria del Presidente Assad 😡

🐰 Gli USA, invece di lanciare accuse, dovrebbero riflettere sul loro comportamento, e presentarsi al banco degli imputati, di fronte al resto del Mondo ❗️

🌸 Iscriviti 👉 @collettivoshaoshan

⚠️ TAN KEFEI: "THE USA IS THE ONLY COUNTRY NOT TO HAVE DESTROYED ITS CHEMICAL WEAPONS ARSENAL, EVEN HAVING SIGNED UP TO THE CWC CONVENTION" ⚠️

🇨🇳 Colonel Tan Kefei - Spokesman of the Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China - said in a press conference that China hopes that the US will keep its commitment to complete the destruction of its chemical weapons stockpiles by Fall of 2023:

💬 The CWC [Chemical Weapons Convention] serves as a crucial foundation for the Governance of Security in the World. The destruction of chemical weapons is both the main objective of the Convention and the main obligation of the Contracting States" 🐰

🤔 In the stipulation of the Convention, it was written to compliment the destruction of stockpiles of chemical weapons within 10 years of its promulgation in 1997 🐰

😡 The only country in the world that has not destroyed its stocks of chemical weapons, despite having signed and ratified the "Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Attachment and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction" are the United States of America:

💬 "In the 26 years since the Convention came into force, more than 99% of global stockpiles of chemical weapons have been destroyed, with SEVEN out of EIGHT states declaring complete stockpile destruction. The US is currently the ONLY country that still maintains stocks of chemical weapons" 😡

🇯🇵 Furthermore, Neo-Militarist Japan, increasingly subordinate to the USA, constantly delays the process of destroying the poisonous chemical weapons abandoned in China since their violent aggression in China:

💬 "China urges Japan to strengthen its sense of urgency and increase investment to destroy such weapons as soon as possible, cleanly and completely" ⭐️

🤡 The US imperialists have always pointed the finger at other countries, accusing them - without proof - of having developed, if not actually used, chemical and biological weapons: from the false claim supported by a vial of "powdered detergent" which foundations for the illegal Iraq War, to the ridiculous falsehoods artificially fabricated by the (US financed) White Helmets against President Assad's Syria 😡

🐰 The USA, instead of making accusations, should reflect on their behavior, and appear in the dock, in front of the rest of the world ❗️

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