News of Bahrain
World16 November 20232 min read

France issues arrest warrant for Syria's Assad

AFP | Paris The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com France has issued an international arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, accused of complicity in crimes against humanity over chemical attacks in 2013, a judicial source and plaintiffs in the case said We

Editorial Team Legacy

Published 16 November 2023, 8:00 · Updated 22:14

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France issues arrest warrant for Syria's Assad

AFP | Paris

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

France has issued an international arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, accused of complicity in crimes against humanity over chemical attacks in 2013, a judicial source and plaintiffs in the case said Wednesday.

The judicial source told AFP Assad was also suspected of complicity in war crimes for the attacks, blamed by the opposition on the regime, that killed more than 1,400 people near Damascus in August 2013.

International warrants were also issued for the arrests of Assad's brother Maher, the de-facto chief of a Syrian elite military unit, and two armed forces generals.

The Paris court's unit concerned with crimes against humanity has been investigating the chemical attacks since 2021.

France claims worldwide jurisdiction for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The probe was sparked by a legal complaint filed by the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) and the Syrian Archive.

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