The French Court of Cassation canceled the arrest warrant for former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on July 25, 2025. This was reported by Franceinfo.
Bashar al-Assad served as the President of Syria from 2000 to 2024 and was charged with crimes against humanity and war crimes related to chemical attacks in Eastern Ghouta, Adra, and Douma in August 2013. The accusations against him were based on the fact that, as the head of state, he could not benefit from immunity from criminal liability under international law norms.
The arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad was issued in November 2023. However, the prosecution tried to challenge it, as according to international law, sitting heads of state, prime ministers, and foreign ministers have personal immunity from criminal liability in courts of other countries.
In June 2024, the Paris Appeals Court upheld the warrant, but now the French Court of Cassation has supported the prosecutor's arguments. Additionally, in this case, the arrest warrant for Assad has been declared invalid.
The President of the French Court of Cassation, in his public statement, emphasized that Bashar al-Assad was ousted from office in December 2024, and since he no longer holds his position, his immunity has been lost. This means that new arrest warrants can be issued for the same or other charges, specifically war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Furthermore, in France, the investigation against Bashar al-Assad is still ongoing, and new information about the case has been published recently.
This situation may lead to further legal and diplomatic issues and raise new questions in the relations between states.
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