ISTANBUL 

A Syrian judge issued an arrest warrant on Saturday for ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

“An arrest warrant was issued against criminal Bashar al-Assad on charges related to the Daraa events of 2011,” Judge Tawfiq al-Ali told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

He said the warrant was issued on charges of premeditated murder, torture leading to death, and deprivation of liberty.

“This judicial decision opens the door for the warrant to be circulated through Interpol and for the case to be pursued internationally,” he added.

The judge said the measure was taken following a lawsuit filed by families of the victims of the 2011 events in Daraa, without specifying the details of these events.

Daraa was the birthplace of the Syrian uprising in March 2011 against the Assad regime.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia last December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January.

Since Assad’s ouster in late 2024, Syria’s new administration has pursued political and economic reforms while promoting social cohesion and working to expand cooperation with regional and international partners.