Dutch Court Orders Company to Compensate 5 Iranians for Supplying Mustard Gas to Iraq

A Dutch court ordered today, Wednesday, the Dutch company Foravina B.V., formerly known as "KBS Holland," to pay damages to five Iranians who were victims of chemical gas attacks during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, following the company's failure to appear in court to defend itself. The Iranians claimed that Foravina supplied Iraq with raw materials used in the production of mustard gas from 1982 to 1984. The court acquitted another Dutch company, "Otiha," formerly known as "Malkemi," in the same case, accepting its lawyer's argument that it was unaware the supplied raw materials would be used by Saddam Hussein's government to produce mustard gas. The court will determine the amount of compensation owed by Foravina to the victims of the chemical weapons attack at a later stage. Foravina could not be reached for comment.