Esra Taskin
22 January 2025•Update: 22 January 2025
PARIS
The French judiciary has issued an arrest warrant for ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad on charges of complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity, an official said Tuesday.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced the decision on his X account, emphasizing the need for justice.
“The French judiciary has issued an arrest warrant against Bashar al-Assad. The crimes of the regime, whose horrors I witnessed at Sednaya Prison, must not go unpunished. France has mobilized and will continue to mobilize for justice for Syrians,” Barrot said.
The arrest warrant was requested by France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) on Jan. 16 as part of an investigation into the 2017 death in Syria of a French citizen of Syrian origin.
French judicial sources confirmed that the investigating judges issued the warrant on Jan. 20, accusing Assad of complicity in war crimes, including murder and deliberate attacks against civilians.
The latest legal action builds upon previous charges against Assad in France.
On Nov. 15, 2023, a French court issued an arrest warrant against him for crimes against humanity and war crimes.
The court held Assad responsible for his role in chemical attacks that targeted civilians in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta region in 2013.
The arrest warrant comes as part of broader efforts by France and its allies to hold Assad accountable for atrocities committed during Syria’s civil war.
On Jan. 3, Foreign Minister Barrot and his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, visited Sednaya Prison in the capital Damascus, a notorious detention center widely known as a torture facility used by the Assad regime.
Whether Assad will face trial remains uncertain, but the legal pressure on his regime continues to grow.
Assad has long been accused of orchestrating widespread human rights violations in Syria, including chemical attacks, mass killings and the targeting of civilians.
Since the start of the Syrian uprising in 2011, human rights organizations have documented extensive war crimes attributed to his government.
