Artigenda
Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare
When: Annually, November 30.
The Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare is an annual day of remembrance for all victims of chemical warfare, worldwide. The day pays tribute to the victims of war at the hands of chemical weapons and highlights the importance of eliminating chemical weapons.
Origin
The Day of Remembrance for all Victims of Chemical Warfare took shape on 11 November 2005 through a proposal by Rogelio Pfirter, director of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This organisation aims to eliminate the use of chemical weapons. The headquarters of this organisation is located in The Hague. This organisation was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its work. Despite its efforts, it has failed to eliminate the use of chemical weapons.
Source: Wikimedia Commons.
Despite the existence of this day, chemical weapons are still used. Chemical weapons fall under chemical warfare, in which chemical substances are used as weapons. Think nuclear weapons, radiological weapons and biological weapons. All are weapons of mass destruction. Not all of them are aimed at destroying or disabling military targets. In very many cases, civilian targets are hit by those weapons of mass destruction. Moreover, the mere possession of such weapons poses a certain threat.
Treaties
Officially, the use of such weapons is prohibited under international humanitarian law based on the Geneva Protocol (1925) and the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. In addition, the Chemical Weapons Convention (Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and Their Destruction or Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)) has been in force since 1993. The OPWC is to enforce the latter convention. Initially, 165 countries signed this treaty, and later more countries joined, which eventually made 193 countries participate. Not every country participated in the treaty. This applies to:
- Egypt.
- Israel.
- North Korea.
- South Sudan.
The signature of the Israeli government
Initially, it seemed that Israel would sign the treaty. After it became clear that inspections should also be allowed into the Negev nuclear research centre near Dimona, the Israeli government decided not to ratify.
Syrian government's signature
That a signature on the treaty does not say everything demonstrates the use of chemical weapons in the war in Syria. Chemical weapons have been used several times in this country despite its acceptance of the treaty. More on Syria later.
Palestine and Vatican City
The list of participating states also includes the countries of Palestine and Vatican City. Formally, these states have observer status within the United Nations. Yet these states are listed on the list of participating states. In the case of the Vatican City State, this is unusual because it has no army of its own, apart from the Swiss Guard. The Swiss Guard is, contrary to what some people think, a professional mini-army. The guards all have military training and carry weapons (hidden in their clothing). In addition, the Vatican is guarded by security officers and the Vatican Gendarmerie. Only that is different from a professional army, which could have weapons of mass destruction.
When it comes to the Palestinians, it is about the Palestinian Authority. In 2013, the Palestinian Authority changed its name to the State of Palestine. The Palestinian Authority was established as a result of the Oslo Accords (1994). The Palestinian State or Palestinian Authority has security forces totalling 45,000 men. The Second Intifada (2000 – 20005) made it illegal for these security forces to carry arms until 5 August 2004. The weaponry of these security forces has not improved since then.
Recent history
Chemical weapons have not been used in conflicts and wars for a very long time. There is a recent history when it comes to the large-scale use of such weapons. Only from the nineteenth century onwards were the weapons used on a larger scale. The most significant developments took place during the First World War. Even after international agreements had been made on the use of chemical weapons. Think, for example, of World War I (chlorine gas, mustard gas) and the Vietnam War (Agent Orange).
Tear gas
Most descriptions dealing with the use of poison gas during World War I often talk about the use of chlorine gas. This gas was indeed deployed during the war. However, this was not the only poison gas used. For instance, tear gas was also used. The impact of this gas was less drastic as it led to irritation. It did not lead to death or disability.
Tear gas was used by French troops early in the war (August 1914). One used 26 mm. shells filled with ethyl bromoacetate for this purpose. Due to its scarcity, another agent, chloroacetone, was later chosen.
In October 1914, the Germans too decided to resort to such shells. They did so during the fighting at Neuve Chapelle.
From 1915: lethal chemical weapons
Where tear gas led to irritation, it was different from January 1915. The 18,000 German shells filled with xylyl bromide were fired at Russian soldiers at the Battle of Bollimów (14 January – 28 February 1915). It was only thanks to the cold winter weather that the lethal impact was lower. Moreover, the wind ensured that the fumes that did get released were blown back towards the German positions.
Chlorine gas proved to be a much better remedy. They had already gained experience with it. Presumably due to carelessness while mentioning the success of this chemical weapon, confusion arose about the use of chlorine gas. The date should not have been 2 January 1915, but 2 January 1916. This makes sense, as the first logical mention of chlorine gas is that of 22 April 1915.
Chlorine gas
The Germans deployed chlorine gas during the Second Battle of Ypres, which took place in 1915. Earlier, on 22 April, French-Algerian and Canadian troops were heavily shelled with ordinary shells. Later, those troops watched the Germans launch long pipes above the trenches from their positions. A little after five in the afternoon, clouds of chlorine gas drifted towards the other side of the front. This created a hole in this front the size of about seven kilometres. This gas caused mucous membranes to be affected. Think of lungs and airways, among other things. This could lead to suffocation. The Germans thought all this was permissible, as the treaties on the use of chemical weapons would only have regulated the prohibition of shells. They would deploy the gas three more times: on 24 April, 2 May and 5 April. The gas was also deployed in the east against the Russians.
Not only the Germans were using this chlorine gas. The Allies would also start using this weapon of mass destruction. Not only that, but other chemical weapons were also used. Consider phosgene (invented by French scientists), colourless and almost impossible to detect. This gas became known as the iWhite Star. This gas was even more deadly that the chlorine gas. Precisely because it was invisible and because after exposure, people thought they could just carry on. Within 24 hours, soldiers exposed to it would become victims.
In 1917, mustard gas was introduced, named after the Third Battle of Ypres. Hence the name Yperite. This would eventually become the chemical weapon most commonly used during World War I. Responsible for its production were the Germans. On 12 July, they introduced the gas. Although mustard gas does not have to be lethal (only in a very high dose), it does cause serious health damage after exposure. What did not help: after the shells exploded that contained the mustard gas, it could take days, weeks and sometimes months for the area to be free of the gas. This depended on weather conditions.
It took a long time for the other warring parties to develop their versions of mustard gas. When this was done, it could also be used by these parties.
By the end of World War I, the number of poison gas victims had risen to more than one million people. Among these victims were possibly more than 250,000 civilian victims. That was not the end of it, as poison gas was regularly used to quell conflicts between the two World Wars. In Asia, it was Japan that used chemical weapons to enable their advance in this part of the world.
Zyklon B
Another application that may also be counted in the category of weapons of mass destruction is the development of the poison gas Zyklon B. Officially, this was a pesticide developed before the war. It was the successor to Zyklon A, again a pesticide, with methyl cyanoformate as its active component. Based on the Treaty of Versailles (1919), the production of methyl cyanoformate was banned because it was possible to make poison gas from it.
Zyklon B was already known as a pesticide/pesticide before the war. That was initially its intended use, namely delousing. Experiments in 1941 at Auschwitz I (September 1941) led to Zyklon B eventually being used to kill people. Its main component consists of hydrogen cyanide (hydrocyanic acid). This is a volatile liquid also known as prussic acid. The contents of the cans of Zyklon B contained wood pulp impregnated with this hydrogen cyanide, a stabiliser and a fragrance (ethyl bromo acetate). As soon as the cans were opened, the vapour of hydrogen cyanide (hydrocyanic acid) was released. Its effects are well known. They are described in history books. Documentaries and films have been made about it.
Responsible for producing Zyklon B were the companies Degesch Tesch & Stabebow. Its development took place in 1922 by the company Degesch. Named as the person responsible for its development is Walter Heerdt (March 9, 1888 – February 2, 1957). In the process, he refined the expensive drug that had been developed by Ferdinand Flury (June 21, 1887 – April 6, 1947) and Albrecht Hase (March 16, 1882 – November 20, 1962) with the name Zyklon A (or Zyklon). To circumvent the Allies’ ban, he and Bruno Tesch (August 14, 1890 – May 16, 1946) developed Zyklon B, which could not be banned as such. The two quarreled, and hence two companies ended up producing Zyklon B. Another company, through a significant stake in one of the companies, had a significant stake in that. You couldn’t ignore this company.
In Nazi Germany, one company held a monopoly on the chemical industry. That was the company Interessen-Gemeinschaft Farbenindustrie AG. This company is better known as IG Farben. This company decided that Deutsche Gesellschaft für Schädlingsbekämpfung mbH, also known as Degesch would supply Zyklon B to one part of Germany. Tesch & Stabenow (also known as Testa) would again supply in another area. In this way, they were assured that there was always a sufficient supply of the annihilate.
The use of Zyklon B shows that the use of weapons of mass destruction is not tied to war.
North Yemeni civil war
During the North Yemeni Civil War (1962 – 1970), poison gas was used on several occasions. The first time, poison gas was used was on 8 June 1963, killing at least 100 people in northern Yemen. Twelve others were injured. Two years later, there were again reports of the use of poison gas. These reports intensified as the war progressed. January 5, 1967 was the largest attack in which chemical weapons were deployed. 270 people were killed and another 140 injured in a bombing of Kitaf. Although an investigation was launched, the United Nations couldn’t identify a guilty party. Presumably, the true target was the headquarters of Prince Hassan ibn Yahya (June 18, 1908 – June 13, 2003). If this was the case, the responsible party would have been Egypt. The Egyptian government only accused the US and British governments of meddling. Even after these events, the poison gas attacks continued, eventually killing an estimated total of 1,500 people and injuring an estimated same number.
Agent Orange
Hoewel de gebeurtenissen in Jemen verschrikkelijk waren, valt dit in het niet bij het het gebruik van het ontbladeringsmiddel Agent Orange tijdens de Vietnamoorlog. Dit middel werd tussen 1961 en 1971 ingezet. De naam is een verwijzing naar de oranje vaten waarin het van oorsprong bestrijdingsmiddel werd vervoerd. Nog altijd heeft de inzet van dit middel verstrekkende gevolgen voor inwoners van Vietnam.
The deployment of Agent Orange falls under what is known as Herbicidal warfare. Translate this into Dutch, it is herbicide warfare or a herbicidal warfare. This is anything but harmless. Not primarily because it destroys entire ecosystems. In addition, it has a devastating impact on people and animals. Not only for those directly affected but also for succeeding generations. Traces of dioxide, in particular the highly toxic 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, have been found in the mixture spread over parts of Vietnam. In humans and animals, exposure during pregnancy causes bone abnormalities, kidney failure and a reduction in the immune system, among other things. In direct exposure, it can cause chloracne. 10 mg. of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin is already lethal to a human. Incidentally, in Agent Orange, this was a highly diluted version and thus a by-product. That did not make the effects any less bad.
Estimate
The estimate released by the government of Vietnam assumes about four million people were exposed to Agent Orange. The Vietnam Red Cross assumed one million people were left with permanent health damage from the deployment of Agent Orange. The US government has always labelled these figures as unreliable. At the same time, it did see cases of leukaemia and Hodgkin lymphoma among affected soldiers. There were also birth defects in children of soldiers who had served in Vietnam and were involved in areas where the chemicals had been deployed.
The goal was to defoliate forests. Therefore, this was the purpose for which the drug was developed. Production was carried out by Dow Chemical Company, Monsanto Company, Diamond Shamrock Corporation, Hercules Inc., Thompson Hayward Chemical Co, United States Rubber Company (Uniroyal), Thompson Chemical Co, Hoffman-Taff Chemicals, Inc. and Agriselect.
Resolution 31/72
Resolution 31/72 was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1976 in response to the use of weapons such as Agent Orange. It was a call for all states to reconsider such means, given their effects on the environment. It was described as “environmental modification.” Because that is also what was happening. An unauthorised modification of the environment. As many as 31,000 square kilometres of forest were defoliated. Biodiversity was thus seriously threatened and fragile ecosystems were wiped out. One may simply speak of ecocide.
Irak
Notorious for using chemical weapons in the 1980s was Iraq. Saddam Hussein (April 28, 1937 – December 30, 2006) ordered the use of chemical weapons on several occasions:
- March 11, 1985, during the war against Iran - Qurna, Iraq - sarin (nerve agent), mustard gas, 7,500 dead.
- January 9, 1986, during the war against Iran - Shalamcheh, Iran - mustard gas, 90 dead.
- March 16, 1988, during the war against Iran/ Kurds - Halabja, Iraq - sarin, mustard gas, 5,000 dead.
Syrië
The Syrian government signed the treaty committing the country to stop using chemical weapons. Despite this, the country decided to use chemical weapons against its own population on the following occasions:
- August 21, 2013, Ghouta - sarin, 1,729 dead.
- April 4, 2017, Khan Shaykhun - sarin, 92 dead.
Other ways
Chemical weapons can also be used in other ways. To eliminate people, temporarily or otherwise. Think of the attempt to evacuate the Doebrovkatheather in 2002. Another way chemical weapons can be used is an attack like the one carried out in Tokyo in 1995.
- March 20, 1995, Tokyo, Japan - sarin - deployed by Aum Shinrikyo (Aoum) during an attack on the Tokyo underground. This killed 13 people and injured another 5,500.
- October 26, 2002, Moscow, Russia - carfentanil (narcotic painkiller) - deployed by FSB/SVR or GROe (intelligence services) during the Doebrovkatheather hostage crisis. This left 170 dead and more than 700 injured. 39 terrorists were killed, 129 hostages were killed, according to the reading.
- November 1, 2006, London, UK - polonium-210 (isotope), Aleksandr Litvinenko (December 4, 1962 - November 23, 2006) was a former Russian security service employee who was poisoned in the UK. He did not survive the attack. The attack was soon linked to the Russian security service. Litvinenko was involved in an investigation into the perpetrators of the murder of journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya who was killed on October 7, 2006 (probably also by members of the Russian security service).
- February 13, 2017, Kuala Lumpur - VX (nerve agent) - deployed by North Korea's secret service, killing Kim Jong-nam (May 10, 1971 - February 14, 2017) (he died a day later due to poisoning). Kim Jong-nam was the eldest brother of Kom Jong-Il (16 February 1942 - 17 December 2011) and half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
- March 4, 2018, Salisbury, UK - novichok (nerve agent) - Sergei Srkipal and Yulia Skripal are poisoned by leads from the Russian secret service. The two survive the attack. Others around them and bystanders would eventually fall ill too, one person died.
- August 20, 2020, Tomsk, Russia - novichok - Aleksey Navalny, opponent of Vladimir Putin, is poisoned with the nerve agent and narrowly survives the attack. He eventually has to be treated in Germany.
Not just limited to wars
On November 30, it is Remembrance Day for all victims of chemical warfare. Formally, we only commemorate the victims of warfare. This alone shows that chemical weapons are not limited to wars. Therefore, perhaps the day should be dedicated to all victims of chemical or weapons of mass destruction.
More information
De Verenigde Naties hebben voor deze dag een website beschikbaar gesteld met informatie over deze dag. De website is hier te vinden.
