French court cancels arrest warrant for former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad

ISTANBUL

France's highest court on Friday canceled the arrest warrant for former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad over chemical attacks in 2013, according to French daily Ouest France.

The French Court of Cassation has decided to overturn former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad's arrest warrant, considering that a head of state's immunity cannot be waived under any circumstances.

In November 2023, two Parisian investigating judges issued an arrest warrant against Bashar al-Assad for complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes related to chemical attacks in Adra, Douma, and Eastern Ghouta in August 2013, which killed over 1,000 people.

The Paris Court of Appeal validated the warrant in June 2024.