France issues arrest warrant for Assad

Judges in France have issued a new arrest warrant for former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for alleged complicity in the bombing of civilian sites in the Arab Republic in 2017, Agence France-Presse writes.

The warrant was issued at the request of France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, which was investigating the death of 59-year-old Salah Abu Nabu, who had French-Syrian origins.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the man died in 2017 in a shelling by Syrian army helicopters at his home in the Daraa Governorate. The request for a new warrant was justified by the fact that Assad is no longer president and therefore does not benefit from state immunity in judicial proceedings.

This is the second arrest warrant issued for the former Syrian leader in France. The previous warrant was related to allegations against Assad regarding the alleged use of chemical weapons by Syrian forces. As reported by AFP, French justice has issued a total of 14 arrest warrants for senior Syrian officials.