The Crimes Against Humanity Section of the Paris Court issued arrest warrants for the use of chemical weapons against civilians.
Judges from the Crimes Against Humanity Division of the Paris Court of Justice in France have issued arrest warrants against Syrian President Bashar alAssad over the use of banned chemical weapons against civilians in the country. The information was published by the Portal news agency.
According to the agency, the head of state’s brother was also targeted by the court because he was considered an accomplice. In addition, security chief Bassam alHassan and director of the Center for Scientific Studies and Research Ghassan Abbas were also named in the arrest warrants. The think tank is the authority responsible for setting up the chemical weapons program in Syria.
The arrest warrants relate to allegations of complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity. The case of Bashar alAssad is the first international arrest warrant against the Syrian president.
The Paris court’s action follows an investigation into the use of chemical weapons in attacks in the Syrian city of Douma and the Eastern Ghouta district. According to Portal, the incident left more than 1,000 people dead.
In France, the case was opened by lawyer Mazen Darwish, founder of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression.
Despite the allegations, Syria denies using the weapons. However, a report by the United Nations (UN) and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said that Bashar alAssad’s government used sarin gas in a 2017 attack and also used chlorine as a weapon on other occasions.
CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Chemical and biological weapons were first banned by the Geneva Convention in 1925, after the First World War. However, production was still permitted.
Currently, both cases are being treated as war crimes because they appear indiscriminate and do not distinguish combatants from civilians. For this reason, it is a type of weapon prohibited under international law for armed conflict, as the military objective is not to attack civilians.
The use of chemical weapons is only completely prohibited in wars, as elements such as tear gas and pepper gas are permitted to control public order.
Find out here which chemical weapons are used in armed conflicts.