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Germany must offer...
For example, the German magazine Stern reported in February 1987 on Iraq's chemical weapons program and described a massive chemical production facility located around 120 kilometers north of Baghdad. The complex covered nearly 25 square kilometers, was surrounded by multiple security barriers, and protected by surface-to-air missile systems. At this facility, Iraq manufactured mustard gas, tabun, and sarin for use in the war against Iran. Significantly, Stern reported that the plant's raw materials and equipment, valued at about one billion Deutsche Marks, had been supplied by German companies, particularly a company known as Pilot Plant. The report further stated that, throughout the Iran-Iraq War, a Hamburg-based company continued exporting machinery to Baghdad for the production of mustard gas.
In light of the doctrine of responsibility reflected in the International Law Commission's 2001 and 2011 Draft Articles, Germany bears international responsibility proportionate to its contribution to Iraq's internationally wrongful acts. Although legal accountability should be pursued through the appropriate mechanisms of international law, there also exists a profound moral obligation that has yet to be fulfilled: an official apology.
To date, the German government has not offered a formal and adequate apology to the Iranian people for its indirect role in enabling Iraq's chemical weapons program. Such an apology represents one of the most fundamental requirements of human rights and historical justice.
Germany has consistently emphasized human rights as a cornerstone of its foreign policy and has demonstrated its willingness to confront historical injustices by commemorating events such as the Holocaust and acknowledging its historical responsibilities. Accordingly, it is reasonable to expect that Germany should likewise officially commemorate June 28 by issuing a formal apology to the Iranian people and holding a symbolic ceremony in memory of the victims of the Sardasht chemical attack and the thousands of other Iranian victims of chemical warfare.
Such an apology cannot erase the suffering, trauma, or lasting memories of the victims and their families. Nevertheless, it would constitute an important act of moral accountability and would reinforce international norms emphasizing states' responsibilities regarding human rights violations. It would also serve as a meaningful reminder that complicity in crimes against humanity carries enduring legal and ethical consequences.
It is our hope that such tragedies will never be repeated and that humanity may move toward a future founded upon peace, justice, accountability, and respect for human dignity.