France Moves to Strip Assad’s Immunity: A Landmark Step Towards Justice for Syrian Atrocities
French Prosecutors Seek Arrest Warrant Confirmation for Syrian President Over 2013 Chemical Attack.
Watan-After more than a decade of massacres and bloodshed in Syria, the outlines of an unprecedented judicial shift have begun to emerge. The French Public Prosecution has requested the confirmation of an arrest warrant issued against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, on charges of complicity in committing crimes against humanity, most notably the chemical attack that occurred in Ghouta and Moadamiyat al-Sham on August 21, 2013, which killed more than a thousand civilians, most of them children.
This judicial step – led by France – is unprecedented, as the Public Prosecution proposed lifting Assad’s immunity, noting that his legitimacy has not been recognized since 2012. The Prosecutor General at the Court of Cassation, Remy Heitz, stated that the mass crimes committed by the Syrian authorities are the motive behind this historic move.
فصل جديد يفتح آمال جديدة في محاكمة #بشار_الأسد بعد سلسلة جـ.رائمه ضد السوريين.. فهل ينال العقاب؟ pic.twitter.com/QpMw9Y3PV1
— وطن. يغرد خارج السرب (@watanserb_news) July 6, 2025
The French court is expected to issue its final decision on July 25, at a pivotal moment that could mark the beginning of a path towards justice or the continuation of global silence.
Will this attempt succeed in opening a new chapter of accountability? Or will justice remain postponed?
