THE HAGUE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th June, 2023) Two Dutch companies, Melchemie and KBS Holland, which sold chemicals to Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, will face legal action from five Iranian citizens who were victims of poison gas attacks, Dutch media reported on Friday.
Although both companies claim that the chemicals were intended for use in agriculture, the victims insist that they knew their substances were being used to produce mustard gas, Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant reported.
Melchemie's former owner, billionaire Hans Melchers has been summoned to appear in The Hague court on June 22, according to the report. He is accused of directly participating in the deliveries to Iraq of 1,850 tonnes of thionyl chloride, a substance used in the production of mustard gas, between 1982 and 1984, the newspaper said. Melchers has reportedly denied the accusations, claiming that his company was made to believe that the chemical was used as a pesticide.�
Another Dutch company, Amsterdam-based Forafina Beleggingen (formerly known as KBS Holland), is also accused of supplying Iraq with a substance used in making mustard gas, in the same period.�
During the Iran-Iraq War, which lasted eight years, from 1980-1988, the Netherlands imposed a ban on national exports to Iraq to prevent Dutch companies from supplying the Iraqi government with materials that could potentially be used to produce chemical weapons.
The five plaintiffs were either soldiers or volunteers with the Iranian army or affiliated local groups, and suffered debilitating injuries from mustard gas attacks. They have respiratory issues and disability due to damage to their eyes, lungs and skin.
