A group of Russian correspondents led by Evgeny Poddubny have found one of the children filmed by the White Helmets in their video showing people “affected” by the alleged chemical attack in Douma, Syria on April 7.
According to Poddubny:
- 11-year-old Hassan Diab is fine;
- He suffered no injures from the “chemical attack” because there was no attack (at least then and there);
- The boy participated in the video for food (rice, dates and cookies).
Poddubny also contacted Diab’s father – who also claimed that there was no chemical attack in the town.
A full video by Poddubny:
https://twitter.com/Syricide/status/986796476499222529
Hassan’s story is quite similar to the case observed during the battle for Aleppo city in 2016. A photo of Omran Daqneesh became popular in the mainstream media and was widely used for propaganda purposes against Syrian forces fighting militants in the city.
We were very harmed because of the gunmen and how they used things to their benefit with my child,” Omran’s father told Ruptly after the city was liberated. “Thank god, he was only slightly wounded. Thank god after the army advanced and retook these areas; we are now back in our homes. The situation now is very good, thank god.”
Daqneesh’s father also accused militants of using his son for propaganda purposes.
https://twitter.com/jadinho123/status/984920055086542851
It’s not just Russian journalists claiming the Douma chemical attack was staged.
Earlier Pearson Sharp, a reporter for One America News Network visited Douma and found that locals claimed the so-called April 7 Douma chemical attack had been fabricated by militants.
Top Photo | Hassan Diab is shown in Al-Jazeera’s coverage of the alleged chemical attack.