Switzerland issues arrest warrant for Rifaat Assad over crimes in 1980
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A Swiss court issued last year an international arrest warrant for Rifaat al-Assad, uncle of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, over war crimes, the court said, he committed in 1980.
In 2022, the Swiss Federal Criminal Court (FCC) ordered the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) to issue an international arrest warrant for al-Assad “for his alleged role in the massive war crimes committed in the city of Hama in February 1982.
The ruling kept secret for a year to ensure the effectiveness of the measure – the FCC ordered the FOJ to issue the arrest warrant for al-Assad, confirming the competence of the Swiss authorities to prosecute him and request his extradition to Switzerland.
“It is to be welcomed that the prosecuting authorities have finally decided to request Mr. al-Assad’s extradition, although it is regrettable that we had to wait until his return to Syria before demanding he appear before the Swiss courts,” said Benoit Meystre, legal advisor at TRIAL International.
According to the TRIAL International, Rifaat al-Assad was “guilty of executions, enforced disappearances, rape, and torture on an unimaginable scale. According to various sources, between 10,000 and 40,000 people were killed in the span of only three weeks,” in reference to Hama massacre in 1982.