UK to compensate victims of secret chemical weapons tests
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
London, Jan 17, IRNA
UK Victims-CW Tests
Britain's Ministry of Defence is to offer compensation and an apology to the victims of secret chemical weapons testing carried out at Porton Down military research centre in western England over 40 years ago, it was reported Thursday.
According to the BBC, Pnds 3 million (Dlrs 6 m) is being awarded to 360 former servicemen, who say they were tricked into becoming "human guinea pigs" for nerve gas experiments.
Around 90 per cent of the veterans, who believed they were into thinking the tests were for common cold remedies, were said to have agreed to the offer, equivalent to around Pnds 8,000 each.
But others reportedly accused the MoD is of trying to bully them into accepting the compensation by insisting everyone accepts the offer before it pays out.
The tests at Britain's Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, built during World War One to develop chemical weapons, were carried out in the 1950s and 1960s.
Toxicological results since have revealed exposure to nerve agents and hallucinogenic chemicals, causing memory loss, flashbacks and lethargy.
The offer comes after many years of campaigning by victims, who claim they have suffered a lifetime of ill-health, including skin diseases and psychological problems, as a result of their exposure to the chemical weapons tests.
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