The Permanent Representations of Denmark and France to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) co-hosted a virtual event on the 19th of April 2021 on the margins of the 25th Session of the OPCW Conference of States Parties. Both countries have been fully committed to the International Partnership Against Impunity for Chemical Weapons Use (PAI), since its creation in 2018.
This online event sought to give a voice to the victims of chemical weapons attacks in Syria, through the screening of clips from the Syrian-Danish documentary The Cave. This movie follows the daily life of Dr. Amani Ballour and her colleagues, as they have to practice medicine in an underground hospital in Eastern Ghouta, under the constant threat of chemical weapons.
- Dr Amani Ballour - "The Cave"
- Source: "The Cave", 2019
Dr. Amani and Dr. Salim gave a striking testimony and anwered questions about their own story and about the use of these abject weapons by the Syrian regime.
H.E Luis Vassy recalled that it was « essential not to lose sight about what is actually at stake when we talk about the use of chemical weapons within the OPCW. Fighting impunity is not only a question of principle, it is also a moral and political imperative, and a matter of security for the international community ».
- Ambassador of Denmark, H.E Jens-Otto Horslund and Ambassador of France, H.E Luis Vassy during their exchanges with Dr. Amani Ballour and Dr. Salim Namour
- Source: French embassy
Link to the website of the Permanent Representation of France to the OPCW.