Crime Against Humanity France issues arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad

Marie Colvin 56, an American working for the British newspaper “Sunday Times”, and French photographer Remy Ohlik 28, died on February 22, 2012 in an explosion in the eastern city of Homs, which the French judiciary is investigating as a possible crime against humanity and a war crime, reports France 24.

British photographer Paul Conroy, French journalist Edith Bouvier and Syrian translator Wael Omar were injured in the attack on the press centre where they worked.

Assad fled to Russia with his family after being ousted by Islamist rebels at the end of 2024, although his exact location has not been confirmed.

In addition to Assad, the warrants are specifically aimed at his brother Maher al-Assad, who was commander of the de facto Syria's 4th Bled Division at the time, intelligence chief Ali Mamlouq and then army Chief of Staff Ali Ayub.

The failure of seven arrest warrants is a decisive step that paves the way for a war crimes trial in France and crimes against humanity committed by the Paris-based Bashar al-Assad” regime, said Clemence Bechtart, a lawyer in the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH).

FIW reported that journalists sneaked into the besieged town of “domented crimes committed by the Bashar al-Assad” regime and that they were victims of “targeted bonds”. /Periscopi/