French judicial authorities have issued international arrest warrants for ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and six senior members of his former regime over the 2012 bombardment of the city of Homs that killed two journalists.
The decision, announced Tuesday, September 2, marks one of the most significant legal moves yet against Assad, whose government has long been accused of war crimes during Syria’s brutal civil war.
On February 22, 2012, an explosion struck a makeshift press centre in Homs, killing Marie Colvin, a 56-year-old American correspondent for The Sunday Times of London, and Rémi Ochlik, a 28-year-old French photographer.
Several others were wounded, including British photographer Paul Conroy, French reporter Edith Bouvier, and Syrian translator Wael Omar.
The French judiciary is investigating the attack as both a potential war crime and a crime against humanity, citing evidence that Assad’s forces deliberately targeted foreign journalists to silence coverage of atrocities.
Those Named in the Warrants
Aside from Assad, the arrest warrants also target his powerful brother Maher al-Assad, who commanded Syria’s 4th Armoured Division at the time, intelligence chief Ali Mamlouk, and former army chief of staff Ali Ayoub, among others.
Lawyers representing the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the family of Rémi Ochlik hailed the development as a “decisive step” towards accountability.
“The issuing of the seven arrest warrants paves the way for a trial in France for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Bashar al-Assad’s regime,” said Clémence Bectarte, lawyer for FIDH and Ochlik’s parents.
According to evidence gathered by the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), the Homs attack was not random shelling but a deliberate strike against foreign reporters.
“The investigation clearly established that the attack was part of the Syrian regime’s explicit intention to target journalists in order to limit media coverage of its crimes,” said Mazen Darwish, SCM’s director.
Assad’s Whereabouts
Assad was forced from power in late 2024 after being toppled by Islamist rebels.
He fled with his family to Russia, although his precise whereabouts remain uncertain.
Marie Colvin, remembered for her fearless reporting and trademark black eye patch, became a global symbol of frontline journalism.
Her life and work were dramatized in the Golden Globe-nominated film A Private War.
While it remains unlikely that Assad will face immediate extradition or trial, the warrants represent a symbolic victory for human rights defenders and the families of victims of Syria’s conflict.
The move also underscores France’s willingness to pursue accountability for war crimes beyond its borders a step that could inspire further international legal action against former leaders accused of atrocities.