France Issues Arrest Warrants Against Assad Over 2012 Journalist Killings in Syria
French judicial authorities have issued international arrest warrants for Syria’s ousted president, Bashar al-Assad, and six former senior officials of his regime, over the 2012 bombardment of the city of Homs that killed two journalists.
The warrants, announced Tuesday by lawyers representing the victims’ families, mark a significant step in efforts to hold the former Syrian leader legally accountable for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The attack, which took place on February 22, 2012, claimed the lives of Marie Colvin, 56, an American correspondent for The Sunday Times of London, and Rémi Ochlik, 28, a French photojournalist.
Several others, including British photographer Paul Conroy, French reporter Edith Bouvier, and Syrian translator Wael Omar, were injured when the makeshift press centre in Homs was bombed.
Other figures named in the warrants include Assad’s brother Maher al-Assad, who commanded Syria’s 4th Armoured Division at the time; intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk; and then-army chief of staff Ali Ayoub.
According to Clémence Bectarte, lawyer for the Paris-based International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the family of Ochlik, the move “paves the way for a possible trial in France for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed under Assad’s regime.”
The FIDH and the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) argued that the journalists were deliberately targeted to silence independent reporting.
“The investigation established that the Homs press centre was bombed as part of a deliberate strategy to deter foreign journalists from documenting the regime’s abuses,” said Mazen Darwish, SCM’s director.
Assad fled to Russia with his family in late 2024 after being ousted by Islamist rebels, though his current location remains uncertain.
Colvin, remembered for her fearless frontline reporting and trademark black eye patch, was celebrated worldwide for exposing the human cost of war. Her career was later depicted in the Golden Globe-nominated film A Private War.
If pursued, the warrants could set a precedent in international accountability, showing that even heads of state may one day face trial for wartime atrocities.
Punch
