France issues arrest warrants for Syrian president, 3 generals alleging involvement in war crimes

By ANGELA CHARLTON and BARBARA SURK
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Lawyers for victims say French judicial authorities have issued international arrest warrants for Syrian President Bashar Assad, his brother Maher, and two army generals for their alleged involvement in war crimes and crimes against humanity. It includes chemical attacks in 2013 on rebel-held Damascus suburbs. The investigation has been conducted under universal jurisdiction in France. It was opened in 2021 in response to a criminal complaint by the survivors. The Paris prosecutor’s office has not publicly commented on the arrest warrants that remain secret under French law while an investigation is ongoing. More than 1,000 people were killed and thousands injured in the August 2013 attacks on Douma and Eastern Ghouta.