14 people sentenced for storming OPCW building in The Hague

14 people were sentenced on Friday for their involvement in the storming of the office of the International Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague in December 2021.

Ten suspects received a three-month prison sentence for entering the building. Four others had hit an OPCW security guard and punched and pushed officers, the court found. They have to spend another month in prison. 20 other suspects have been acquitted because it was not clear whether they were in the building or only on the grounds outside.

The protesters entered the OPCW building during a demonstration by the Council of Communities from Kurdistan. They were demonstrating against the alleged use of chemical weapons by Turkey in Kurdish villages.

During the protest, two ladders were attached to a meter-high fence surrounding the building. This allowed the demonstrators to enter the protected area. The demonstrators then managed to get into the building through a revolving door that had been forced open. Once inside, they broke through other secured doors. Around 100 employees locked themselves in their offices.

The OPCW was founded in 1997 to destroy chemical weapons. In 2013, the organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for its work. Almost every country in the world is affiliated with the organization. Its headquarters are located in Johan de Wittlaan in The Hague, opposite the Catshuis and not far from the Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.