France orders arrest of Assad, senior officials in war crimes case
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – A French court issued on Tuesday seven new arrest warrants against senior figures of the former Syrian government, including ousted president Bashar al-Assad, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the 2012 killing of two journalists in Homs.
Lawyers representing civil parties confirmed that the warrants were tied to the February 22, 2012 attack on a makeshift press center in the besieged city. A mortar strike killed American reporter Marie Colvin, 56, of The Sunday Times, and French freelance photographer Rémi Ochlik, 28, shortly after they attempted to leave the building under fire.
Several others were injured in the same incident, including French journalist Edith Bouvier, British photographer Paul Conroy, and their Syrian translator Wael al-Omar.
Alongside Bashar al-Assad, the warrants specifically target his brother Maher al-Assad, then commander of the elite Fourth Armored Division, former intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk, and former army chief of staff Ali Ayoub.
Clémence Bectarte, lawyer for the International Federation for Human Rights in Paris, described the warrants as “a decisive step paving the way for a trial in France over the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Bashar al-Assad’s regime.”
She added that the journalists had entered Homs secretly “to document the crimes committed by Bashar al-Assad’s regime” and became victims of what rights groups describe as a deliberate, targeted strike on the press center.
The decision marks the latest step by European courts to pursue accountability for atrocities committed during Syria’s war. Rights organizations have long accused Damascus of systematically targeting civilians, aid workers, and journalists in areas held by the opposition.
The French judiciary has not announced when proceedings may begin, but lawyers for the victims’ families hailed the move as a breakthrough in international justice efforts.