France asks Lebanon to help arrest top Syrian officials accused of war crimes
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Lebanese judiciary received a formal request from France on Monday seeking assistance in locating and arresting senior officials from the former Syrian regime accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, judicial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday.
The request, delivered to Lebanon’s Chief Public Prosecutor Judge Jamal Hajjar, calls for efforts to track down Syria’s former Air Force Intelligence chief Jamil al-Hassan, former National Security Director Ali Mamlouk, and former Air Intelligence investigator Abdelsalam Mahmoud.
France urged Lebanon to determine whether the officials are on its territory and to arrest and hand them over if found.
According to Asharq Al-Awsat, the French judicial request is linked to ongoing proceedings against ousted President Bashar al-Assad and members of his regime over the deaths of French citizens of Syrian origin who were allegedly tortured and killed in Syrian detention centers.
A Lebanese judicial source said Hajjar tasked the Internal Security Forces’ Information Branch with verifying the suspects’ presence in Lebanon and investigating phone contacts linked to them.
French courts have issued three arrest warrants against Assad, including one this year over the 2013 chemical attacks near Damascus. Lebanon has previously received Interpol notices seeking the detention of both al-Hassan and Mamlouk, though no arrests have been made to date.