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📍 Paris, France — Nearly ten months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, French judicial authorities have intensified efforts to hold senior Syrian officials accountable for war crimes. On September 2, French judges issued seven arrest warrants targeting former high-ranking members of the Assad government, including the ex-president himself, in connection with the 2012 bombing of a press centre in Homs.
The attack, which occurred on February 22, 2012, killed American journalist Marie Colvin and French photojournalist RĂ©mi Ochlik, and injured two other journalists and a translator. Investigators concluded that the strike deliberately targeted foreign media personnel documenting alleged atrocities committed by the Syrian regime during the siege of Homs.
Among those named in the warrants are Maher al-Assad, commander of the 4th Armoured Division; intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk; and former army chief Ali Ayoub. The warrants were issued under France’s universal jurisdiction laws, which allow prosecution of crimes against humanity committed abroad.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), along with other human rights organizations, is actively participating in the case. RSF described the move as a “decisive step” toward justice for journalists killed while reporting in conflict zones.
Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia in late 2024 following the collapse of his government. His current whereabouts remain unconfirmed.
