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French courts have issued a emerging international arrest warrant for the ousted syrian/" class="auto-internal-link">syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, in connection with chemical attacks carried out in 2013 that killed hundreds of civilians, AFP declared on Thursday, citing a judicial source. as per the agency, this latest warrant adds to two previous ones issued by the French judiciary against al-Assad. Investigating judges in Paris signed the emerging warrant on 29 July this year, charging Assad with complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes. The decision came just days after the French courts annulled an earlier warrant in the same case. Furthermore, france’s Court of Cassation had previously overturned the first warrant, issued in November 2023, on the grounds of absolute immunity granted to sitting heads of state.
In fact, at the time, al-Assad remained in power. In a related development, on 2 September this year, the French judiciary issued seven international arrest warrants targeting senior authorities from the former Syrian regime, including Bashar al-Assad. The move is part of a broader French investigation into the 2012 bombardment of a media centre in the Baba Amr district of Homs, which led to the deaths of American journalist Marie Colvin and French photographer Rémi Ochlik. Years of judicial inquiry have disclosed a deliberate strategy to target foreign journalists, allegedly planned during a high-level syria-highlights-reconstruction-efforts-at-arab-housing-council-meeting/" class="smart-internal-link" title="📰 Syria Highlights Reconstruction Efforts at Arab Housing Council Meeting">meeting involving top armed forces and security authorities in Homs province.
Those named alongside Bashar al-Assad include his younger brother Maher al-Assad; Ali Mamlouk, head of the national Security Bureau and presidential security adviser; former defence minister Ali Ayoub; and senior security figure Rifaat al-Shihabi. Furthermore, This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
The post French Judiciary Issues new International Arrest Warrant for Bashar al-Assad on War Crimes Charges first appeared on The Syrian Observer.