French investigative judges have issued an arrest warrant for ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad on suspicion of complicity in war crimes, particularly for deliberate attacks on civilians.
A source in legal circles confirmed this to Reuters. According to the agency, the warrant was issued on January 20 as part of an investigation into the case of Salah Abu Nabur, a Franco-Syrian citizen who was killed on June 7, 2017, during airstrikes in Syria.
This is the second arrest warrant issued by French judges for the former Syrian leader, who was overthrown by rebels in early December 2024. It is noted that in November 2023, French judges issued the first arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad on charges of complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes.
This followed a French investigation into chemical attacks in Douma and the Eastern Ghouta region in August 2013, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 people.
The agency added that Assad’s government previously denied using chemical weapons against opponents in the civil war that erupted in March 2011.
It should be recalled that Syrian rebels announced on December 8 that they had taken control of the capital, Damascus, signaling the end of Assad’s more than two decades of rule.
