Paris judges confirm arrest warrant for Assad over 2013 chemical attacks

RFI

27 June 2024 at 1:44 am·1-min read

Paris judges confirmed a French arrest warrant for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday, alleging his complicity in crimes against humanity related to the 2013 chemical attacks on Syrian soil.

"This is a historic decision. It's the first time a national court has recognised that a sitting head of state does not have total personal immunity for their actions," lawyers for the plaintiffs, Clemence Bectarte, Jeanne Sulzer, and Clemence Witt, said.

Prosecutors from a unit specialised in investigating terrorist attacks had attempted to annul the warrant, arguing that immunity for foreign heads of state should only be lifted for international prosecutions, such as those before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

They clarified that they did not aim to "question the existence of evidence demonstrating Bashar al-Assad's complicity in the chemical attacks".

No immunity

France is believed to be the first country to issue an arrest warrant for a sitting foreign head of state.

The decision was hailed as "great news" and "a new victory for the victims," according to Mazen Darwish, a lawyer for the International Human Rights League (FIDH), who posted on X, "There is no immunity in this type of crime."

The arrest warrant, initially issued in mid-November at the request of investigative magistrates specialising in crimes against humanity, calls for Assad to be detained for his role in the chain of command for attacks on Adra and Douma on 4-5 August, 2013, and East Ghouta on 21 August.

(with newswires)

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No immunity

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