In a historic move, France has issued an arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, accusing him of the alleged use of banned chemical weapons against civilians in Syria, according to a judicial source disclosed to CNN on Wednesday.
The warrant, authorized by two investigative judges on Tuesday, targets not only Assad but also his brother Maher al-Assad, and two other high-ranking officials. The charges include complicity in crimes against humanity and complicity in war crimes, marking a significant legal escalation against the Syrian leadership.
Described as “unprecedented” by Anwar al-Bunni, a Syrian human rights lawyer and founder of the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research, this marks the first instance of a nation issuing an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity against a sitting head of state in another country.
An Interpol ‘Red Notice’ is anticipated to follow, as stated by Michael Chammas, one of the plaintiff’s lawyers, speaking to CNN from Germany. A Red Notice is a global law enforcement request to locate and provisionally arrest an individual pending extradition or legal action.
The legal case, initiated by the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI), and the Syrian Archive in March 2021, focuses on the alleged use of banned chemical weapons in the town of Douma and the district of Eastern Ghouta in August 2013. The attacks, which the plaintiffs claim killed over 1,000 people, have been a contentious point between the Syrian government and opposition forces.
The Syrian government accused opposition forces of carrying out the attacks, while the international community, prompted by survivors’ testimony, initiated the current investigation.
Mazen Darwish, founder, and director-general of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, hailed the decision as a “historic judicial precedent” and a victory for the victims, their families, and survivors, considering it a crucial step towards justice and sustainable peace in Syria. Source : CNN
