Paris judges on Wednesday confirmed a French arrest warrant for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad over alleged complicity in crimes against humanity for 2013 chemical attacks, the plaintiffs’ lawyers said.
The Paris appeals court found Assad could be sought over deadly August 2013 attacks on Syrian soil with chemical weapons.
“This is a historic decision. It’s the first time a national court has recognised that a sitting head of state does not have total personal immunity” for their actions, said the plaintiffs’ lawyers Clemence Bectarte, Jeanne Sulzer and Clemence Witt.
