France issues arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad

The former Syrian leader is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, complicity in murder, and deliberate attacks by the army against civilians.

France has issued an arrest warrant for ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Anadolu Agency reports.

The former Syrian leader is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, complicity in murder, and deliberate attacks by the army against civilians.

"The French justice system has issued an arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad. The crimes of the regime that I witnessed in Sednaya prison must not go unpunished. France is mobilizing its efforts to achieve justice for the Syrians," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

Barro and her German colleague Annalena Baerbock visited Sednaya prison during a visit to Syria on January 3, 2025.

The prosecutor requested the warrant as part of an investigation into the 2017 killing of a French citizen of Syrian origin in Syria.