The Secretary of the political committee in the Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC), Abdelbaset Abdullatif, has voiced his appreciation for the proactive stance taken by the French judiciary in issuing arrest warrants against high-ranking officials from the Assad regime forces to hold them accountable for war crimes committed against civilians.
Abdullatif expressed his belief that the French action sets a positive precedent and could potentially inspire other nations to take similar measures in the pursuit of justice for those implicated in war crimes and crimes against humanity over the past years.
In recent developments, investigative judges from the French War Crimes Unit have issued international arrest warrants for four senior officers within the Assad regime forces, accusing them of complicity in war crimes.
The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression clarified that these arrest warrants encompass Major General Fahd Jassim Al-Freij, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Assad’s army, Major General Ali Ayoub, the former Minister of Defense and current Chief of the General Staff of Assad’s army, Brigadier General Ahmed Baloul, Commander of the Assad regime Air Forces and Air Defense, and Brigadier General Ali Safatli, Commander of the 64th Helicopter Brigade.
The arrest warrants stem from charges of complicity in war crimes and the deliberate attacks against civilian populations. This action follows a judicial investigation initiated in 2017, triggered by the death of Syrian-French citizen Salah Abu Nabbut in the Al-Sadd Road district of Daraa city. Abu Nabbout lost his life during an attack involving barrel bombs carried out by Assad’s forces in June of the same year.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
