A Syrian court issued an arrest warrant on Saturday for former President Bashar al-Assad, marking the first criminal case brought against him since his fall from power 10 months ago.
The warrant, issued in absentia by Judge Tawfiq al-Ali, concerns Assad’s role in government actions on November 23, 2011, in the southern city of Daraa, during the early months of unrest that would soon spiral into Syria’s civil war. The charges center on the heavy-handed crackdown against protesters and insurgents, which set the stage for the nationwide conflict.
Assad is unlikely to face trial. He has been living in Russia under asylum since December 8, 2024, when he fled Syria with his family as rebel forces advanced on Damascus. The offensive, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its then-leader Ahmed al-Sharra—better known by his nom de guerre Abu Muhammad al-Jolani—culminated in the collapse of Assad’s government. Al-Sharra has since assumed Syria’s presidency.
Although Moscow eventually recognized the new Syrian government, it has refused Damascus’s repeated requests to extradite Assad. Russia, once the key power that ensured Assad’s survival during much of the war, has now shifted to pragmatic dealings with the HTS-led administration, leaving Assad’s legal fate in limbo.
The arrest warrant is expected to be circulated through Interpol, though it remains unclear whether the agency will enforce it. Earlier this year, a French court dismissed charges against Assad related to alleged chemical weapons attacks, ruling that he enjoyed presidential immunity at the time—an argument that could influence Interpol’s decision.
Meanwhile, the current government in Damascus is navigating its own foreign policy challenges. Talks with Israel aimed at reaching a peace agreement have reportedly stalled over Israel’s insistence on securing a “humanitarian corridor” for the Druze-majority areas of southern Syria, a demand the new Syrian leadership has rejected as it sees it as an Israeli attempt to expand its reach deeper into Syria.