Syria issues arrest warrant for Ex-President Al-Assad
Shafaq News – Damascus
Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad faces an arrest warrant in absentia over the Daraa events of November 23, 2011, when protests in the city escalated into a prolonged armed conflict, a senior official confirmed on Saturday.
Speaking to the state-run SANA news agency, Tawfiq Al-Ali, the Seventh Investigative Judge in Damascus, indicated that the warrant, filed by relatives of the victims, includes charges of premeditated murder, torture resulting in death, and deprivation of liberty.
The order reportedly allows for international circulation through Interpol and underscores that legal proceedings targeting those responsible for crimes linked to the former regime are ongoing.
قاضي التحقيق السابع في دمشق توفيق العلي لـ سانا: -تم إصدار مذكرة توقيف غيابية بحق المجرم بشار الأسد بتهم مرتبطة بأحداث درعا 2011.-مذكرة التوقيف بحق النظام البائد تشمل اتهاماتٍ بالقتل العمد والتعذيب المؤدي إلى الوفاة وحرمان الحرية.
— الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء - سانا (@Sana__gov) September 27, 2025
On December 8, 2024, al-Assad unexpectedly left Syria and stepped down,
as opposition forces took full control of Damascus and the country’s
governance. Following negotiations, the Russian Foreign Ministry indicated that
al-Assad chose to relinquish power and depart Syria, issuing instructions for a
peaceful transfer of authority. The Kremlin confirmed that he and his family
arrived in Moscow, where they were granted asylum on humanitarian grounds.
