- Warrants Also Target Assad’s Brother
- Assad Faces Charges of War Crimes
- Arrest Warrants for Ousted Syrian President Assad
French judicial authorities have issued arrest warrants for ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and six other former top officials.
The warrants are in response to a 2012 bombardment of a rebel-held city that killed two journalists, an event the French judiciary is investigating as a potential crime against humanity and a war crime, Eko Hot Blog reports.
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The attack on February 22, 2012, in the city of Homs killed Marie Colvin, an American journalist for The Sunday Times, and Remi Ochlik, a French photographer. Three other journalists were wounded in the same attack on what was an informal press center.
According to lawyers, the investigation found that the Syrian regime intentionally targeted the journalists to limit media coverage of its crimes.
In addition to Assad, the warrants also name his brother, Maher al-Assad, who commanded the 4th Syrian armoured division at the time. Other officials targeted include intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk and former army chief of staff Ali Ayoub.
According to lawyer Clemence Bectarte, these warrants are a “decisive step” toward a trial in France.
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