-
Prosecuting War Criminals.. Second French Arrest Warrant Targets Assad
-
The issuance of the second arrest warrant reflects international judiciary's insistence on holding accountable those responsible for crimes against civilians in Syria, despite attempts to escape punis
The French judiciary has initiated a new legal step in pursuing former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, as the investigating judge issued a second arrest warrant against him for complicity in war crimes.
French judicial authorities explained that Assad, as a former president, cannot claim personal immunity, especially in cases involving international crimes including war crimes.
The warrant is based on investigations that began in 2017 following a complaint filed by Omar Abu Nabout, son of victim Salah Abu Nabout, who was quoted saying: "This case is the culmination of a long road toward justice that my family and I believed in from the beginning."
The investigations revealed that the attack targeting Daraa was part of a systematic strategy that affected schools, hospitals, and civilian infrastructure, resulting in the death of more than 2,000 civilians during a two-week military campaign.
Mazen Darwish, founder of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, stated: "The Russian government must hand over Bashar al-Assad to justice, as protection cannot be granted to a person wanted for justice and accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity."
Lawyer Clémence Bectarte highlighted that the number of arrest warrants issued by the French judiciary against senior Syrian military and political officials has reached 14 warrants.
It's worth noting that life sentences were issued against Ali Mamlouk, Jamil Al-Hassan, and Abdel Salam Mahmoud on charges related to torture, forced disappearance, and extrajudicial killing. Observers confirm that this judicial step sends a strong message that war criminals will not escape punishment, no matter how long it takes.
Levant-Follow up
