Syria foreign minister, ICC chief discuss holding Assad accountable in first meeting

DAMASCUS

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani met on Saturday International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane to discuss the issue of holding ousted leader Bashar al-Assad and figures of his erstwhile regime accountable, in the “first meeting of its kind” between the two sides.

AlIkhbaria Syria TV, quoted an unnamed Foreign Ministry source as saying that al-Shaibani held a meeting with the ICC president on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

The source said the meeting discussed “files related to transitional justice and ways to hold those responsible for crimes to account, foremost among them the criminal Bashar al-Assad and a number of figures of the defunct regime.”

The source added that the meeting “is the first of its kind,” without providing further details.

In late September, Damascus investigative judge Tawfiq al-Ali announced the issuance of an in-absentia arrest warrant against Assad, as a prelude to pursuing the case internationally through Interpol.

Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in late 2024, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long grip on power that began in 1963. A new transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January 2025.​​​​​​​

*Writing by Rania Abushamala