France Issues Arrest Warrant for Ousted Leader Assad

france - French judiciary issues arrest warrant for Bashar Assad over war crimes, including chemical attacks.

Arrest Warrant for Bashar Assad

The French judiciary has issued an arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad, the ousted leader of the Baath regime in Syria, over alleged war crimes. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated on his official account that 'French judiciary has issued an arrest warrant against Bashar al-Assad. The crimes of the regime, which I witnessed the horror of in Sednaya Prison, should not go unpunished. France has mobilized and will continue to do so for justice for Syrians.' Barrot and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had inspected the torture center at Sednaya Prison in the Syrian capital Damascus on January 3 following the overthrow of the Baath regime in Syria. The French court had issued an arrest warrant on November 15, 2023, for Assad on charges of complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes. The court accused Assad of complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes during the chemical attacks in the Eastern Ghouta region of Syria in 2013.