Statement by the Federal Foreign Office on the events in the region of eastern Ghouta, Syria

It is with great concern that we are reading reports on the renewed use of chemical weapons in eastern Ghouta on 7 April. If this should turn out to be true, as many indications currently suggest, the regime has once again deployed internationally banned weapons and robbed innocent people of their lives in a cruel and barbaric manner – almost one year to the day after Khan Sheikhoun.

We condemn this act in the strongest possible terms. In the past weeks, the Assad regime has ruthlessly targeted its own civilian population in Ghouta both from the air and on the ground. Now it is evidently also deliberately aiming to hit those who are seeking protection and refuge in cellars and bunkers. We call upon the regime’s supporters, particularly Russia and Iran, to live up to their responsibility at long last and to ensure that the civilians receive protection and humanitarian assistance in accordance with international law. The fight against terrorism must not be allowed to serve as a pretext for the indiscriminate use of extreme violence against men, women and children. The perpetrators of these crimes must be held accountable.