The Assad regime’s systematic use of chemical weapons in Syria is one of the most heinous crimes in modern history. Over the past four years, our research team at the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin has been digging into the evidence around these toxic attacks, which have claimed the lives of almost two thousand people and left thousands more physically and psychologically scarred.
Not only did the Syrian government poison its own people – it also defied the norms that underpin our global community. Chemical weapons are prohibited under international law. Assad’s flagrant crimes in Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and across the country have raised profound questions about the future of war and peace. And they have left Syrians with a momentous mission for accountability and justice.
To better understand how and why these weapons were used – and the devastating impact they had – we interviewed survivors, eyewitnesses, doctors, nurses, and first responders. We tracked down Syrian revolutionaries and defectors from the Assad regime. We spoke to journalists who reported from the frontlines, lawyers piecing together evidence, and investigators and diplomats who found themselves amid some of the most difficult negotiations and missions of their careers.
The Nowhere to Hide podcast shares this witness testimony for the first time. From the horror of the frontlines to the boardrooms of the United Nations, from field hospitals in Damascus to courtrooms across Europe, we trace the individual actions, decisions and experiences of those who came closest to these war crimes. This is the story of their struggle – for survival, truth and justice.
The Episodes
Trailer
2 minNowhere to Hide will launch on May 25. The seven-part series traces the actions, decisions and experiences of individuals who came close to chemical attacks in Syria.
Episode 1
37 minAs the Syrian revolution descends into a bloody civil war, French war journalist Laurent Van der Stockt reaches a besieged pocket outside Damascus, where he finds rebels and local doctors battling the latest horror from the arsenal of Bashar Al-Assad.
Episode 2
30 minAmid growing reports of chemical warfare in Syria, medical student Hussam Nahhas risks his life to prepare doctors, nurses and civilians for the worst. In France, Laurent Van der Stockt finally receives the results of his toxic samples.
Episode 3
34 minFollowing a deadly chemical attack on eastern Ghouta in August 2013, UN investigator Angela Kane and her team set out to verify the use of poisonous chemical agents in the Syrian city. Around the world, people wait to see what they will find.
Episode 4
37 minAfter the devastating Ghouta attack, calls for an international intervention to halt war crimes in Syria grow louder. In Geneva, the US and Russia strike a deal to destroy the Assad regime’s chemical weapons stockpile.
Episode 5
34 minWith international disarmament teams busy dismantling Syria’s declared chemical arsenal, the Assad regime turns to an insidious new weapon: chlorine. Hussam Nahhas and colleagues embark on a perilous journey to document these latest crimes, which impact Syrian women in particular.
Episode 6
33 minAs Russia enters the Syrian war on the side of Assad, Moscow opens up a new front: a state-sponsored disinformation machine to whitewash the regime’s crimes. In spite of the disarmament deal, another large-scale chemical attack reveals a grim truth: Assad has retained a secret stockpile.
Episode 7
42 minMore than a decade after Syrians first took to the streets, Assad has only tightened his grip on power. But determined survivors and advocates like Mazen Darwish are seeking accountability for the regime’s crimes. On a long, arduous road through European courts, they hope to put the truth on record – and shape a more hopeful future.
Trailer
Nowhere to Hide will launch on May 25. The seven-part series traces the actions, decisions and experiences of individuals who came close to chemical attacks in Syria.
Episode 1: A Backpack of Evidence
As the Syrian revolution descends into a bloody civil war, French war journalist Laurent Van der Stockt reaches a besieged pocket outside Damascus, where he finds rebels and local doctors battling the latest horror from the arsenal of Bashar Al-Assad.
Episode 2: Chemical Hazim
Amid growing reports of chemical warfare in Syria, medical student Hussam Nahhas risks his life to prepare doctors, nurses and civilians for the worst. In France, Laurent Van der Stockt finally receives the results of his toxic samples.
Episode 3: The World Is Watching
Following a deadly chemical attack on eastern Ghouta in August 2013, UN investigator Angela Kane and her team set out to verify the use of poisonous chemical agents in the Syrian city. Around the world, people wait to see what they will find.
Episode 4: A Toxic Mess
After the devastating Ghouta attack, calls for an international intervention to halt war crimes in Syria grow louder. In Geneva, the US and Russia strike a deal to destroy the Assad regime’s chemical weapons stockpile.
Episode 5: Rooftop Chemistry
With international disarmament teams busy dismantling Syria’s declared chemical arsenal, the Assad regime turns to an insidious new weapon: chlorine. Hussam Nahhas and colleagues embark on a perilous journey to document these latest crimes, which impact Syrian women in particular.
Episode 6: Muddied Waters
As Russia enters the Syrian war on the side of Assad, Moscow opens up a new front: a state-sponsored disinformation machine to whitewash the regime’s crimes. In spite of the disarmament deal, another large-scale chemical attack reveals a grim truth: Assad has retained a secret stockpile.
Episode 7: The Struggle for Justice
More than a decade after Syrians first took to the streets, Assad has only tightened his grip on power. But determined survivors and advocates like Mazen Darwish are seeking accountability for the regime’s crimes. On a long, arduous road through European courts, they hope to put the truth on record – and shape a more hopeful future.
