French Court of Appeal upholds validity of arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad
The Office of the Prosecutor-General of the Court of Appeal of Paris has referred a legal matter concerning the arrest warrant against Bashar al-Assad, who is accused of conspiracy in crimes against humanity, for resolution by the Court of Appeal.
On July 2, 2024, at 15:04, the News Centre announced that the Office of the Prosecutor-General of the Court of Appeal of Paris has forwarded a legal matter connected to the arrest warrant against Bashar al-Assad, accused of conspiracy in crimes against humanity in chemical attacks in Syria in 2013, as reported by France Press.
The Prosecutor's Office emphasized the importance of considering the position taken by the Chamber of Inquiry of the Paris Court of Appeal regarding the question of personal immunity of a sitting head of state in crimes of this nature, without undermining the substantial evidence implicating Bashar al-Assad in these attacks.
The Paris Court of Appeal has upheld the arrest warrant against Bashar al-Assad related to his alleged involvement in crimes against humanity in the deadly chemical attacks of August 2013, as reported by the victims' representatives and non-governmental organizations.
According to sources closely following the case, this marks the first time a foreign court has issued an arrest warrant against a sitting head of state.
In the coming days, the Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office may appeal to the Court of Appeal, the highest judicial authority in the French legal system.
Since 2021, following a complaint, investigating judges from the Crimes against Humanity Unit of the Paris Judicial Court have been probing the chain of command leading to the attacks in Adra and Douma (450 wounded) on August 4-5, and on August 21, 2013, in eastern Ghouta, where over 1,000 people were reportedly killed by Sarin gas, according to U.S. intelligence.
The investigation has resulted in four arrest warrants being issued for the alleged planning of these attacks.
The warrants target Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher, the actual commander of the fourth division, an elite unit of the Damascus government forces, as well as two officers, Ghassan Abbas and Bassam al-Hassan.
The Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office has appealed the arrest warrant against Bashar al-Assad but not against the other three individuals.
The investigations conducted by the Central Office for Combating Crimes against Humanity and Hate Crimes are supported by evidence such as photographs, videos, maps provided by civilians, and testimonies from survivors and dissenters from security and military units.
T/ Satt.
ANHA
