French court upholds arrest warrant for the Syrian president on alleged chemical weapons charges

A Paris court on Wednesday upheld an arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar al Assad accused of using banned chemical weapons against civilians.

The arrest warrant issued by French judges in November 2023 cites charges of involvement in crimes against humanity and war crimes, and follows a French investigation into chemical weapons attacks in Douma and Eastern Ghouta in August 2013 that killed more than 1,000 people.

French Prosecutors, who will be tasked with asking the police to issue the arrest warrant, challenged the legality of the arrest warrant, noting that Assad, as a head of state still in power, enjoys immunity from prosecution in France.

Assad’s government has denied using chemical weapons against its opponents in the civil war that erupted in March 2011.

Arrest warrants are rarely issued for presidents while in power because they generally enjoy immunity from prosecution.

There are exceptions to this immunity under international law, including that the head of state is accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide.

France is one of the countries that allows cases of crimes against humanity to be brought before its courts.