Facts
In its report, the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission into the Alleged Use of Chemical Weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic confirmed that chemical weapons, specifically sarin, had been used on multiple occasions during the armed conflict in Syria. The report stated that in Ghouta in August 2013, significant quantities of sarin were used in a well-planned attack that indiscriminately targeted civilian areas, resulting in countless casualties.
In April 2017, more than 80 civilians were killed in a chemical attack in Khan Cheikhoun (Idlib).
Procedure
In April 2021, the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, Civil Rights Defenders, Syrian Archive and the Open Society Justice Initiative filed a complaint against Syrian officials for chemical attacks in Idlib province in 2017 and Ghouta, near Damascus in 2013, where hundreds of civilians were killed.
In June 2021, the Swedish prosecutor opened two investigations: an investigation for war crimes and crimes against humanity for the 2017 attack and an investigation into gross crime against international law for the 2013 attack.
In 2024, the investigations into Syrian chemical attacks have been closed.