French investigators have issued an arrest warrant for ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad on suspicion of involvement in war crimes.
Transmits to UNN with reference to France24.
Two French investigating judges have issued an arrest warrant for ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad on suspicion of war crimes, the second such move by French judicial authorities, a source said on Tuesday.
This mandate was issued as part of the investigation into the case of Salah Abu Nabout, a 59-year-old French-Syrian citizen and former French teacher who died on June 7, 2017, after his home was bombed by Syrian army helicopters.
French judicial authorities believe that Assad ordered and provided the means for this attack, the source said.
Relatives of victims await trial
“This case is the culmination of a long struggle for justice that my family and I have believed in from the beginning... the trial will take place and the perpetrators will be arrested and convicted wherever they are,” said Omar Abu Nabut, the victim's son, in a statement .
In total, according to AFP estimates, the French justice system has issued 14 arrest warrants for Syrian officials.
The war in Syria, which began in 2011 with the brutal suppression of protests against Assad, has claimed the lives of more than half a million people and destroyed the country's economy.
Tens of thousands of people have been detained and tortured in the country's prisons, while Assad is accused of using chemical weapons, including banned sarin gas, against his own people.
Recall
In the suburbs of Damascus, militants affiliated with the new government publicly executed a local official, Masen Knehneh. He was accused of writing reports for the Assad regime that led to the torture of young people.
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