Statement by a Group of Syrian Civil Society Organizations Welcoming the Issuance of Arrest Warrants Against President Bashar al-Assad and Three Other Generals

November 27, 2023 - On November 14, 2023, French criminal investigative judges have issued arrest warrants for Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad, his brother Major General Maher al- Assad, de facto leader of the 4th Armored Division, as well as the Director of Branch 450 of the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center (SSRC), General Ghassan Abbas, and Presidential Advisor for Strategic Affairs and liaison officer between the Presidential Palace and the SSRC, General Bassam al-Hasan on charges of complicity to use banned chemical weapons against civilians in in the town of Douma and the district of Eastern Ghouta in 2013, which resulted in the deaths of more than /1,000/ people.

The signatory organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and victim associations welcome this unprecedented judicial measure, which is a significant advancement in the pursuit of justice for the victims of such brutal attacks. The issuance of these historical warrants is a direct outcome of the bravery of survivors and their unwavering commitment to justice, as they provided crucial testimonies and information that paved the way for this momentous decision.

We hope that this landmark judicial decision constitutes a step on the path to justice and sustainable peace in Syria, and serves as a cornerstone in the fight against impunity and the prosecution of those highest responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity. This would ensure that the law is upheld and respected by preventing criminals from evading accountability irrespective of any immunity they may enjoy.

The signatory organizations demand:

Taking the necessary executive measures to ensure the implementation of these warrants and the arrest of suspects to be brought to justice, which would ensure the effectiveness of the steps taken in these judicial procedures, and oppose any attempt to use immunities to escape punishment for crimes committed in Syria or other conflict zones. Other national judicial authorities to follow the example taken by the French judiciary, and take similar measures regarding other violations committed in Syria. The immediate halt of all normalization processes with the Syrian regime taken by some governments. These arrest warrants would not have been issued without the courage of the survivors of chemical attacks, whose role in supporting the path of justice deserves all respect and appreciation, so is the step taken by French judges, which emphasizes the importance of judicial integrity and independence, which we sought to have in future Syria, hoping that we hold all perpetrators of violations accountable before Syrian courts in the future.

Civil Organizations and Groups Signatories:

1. Access Center for Human Rights (ACHR)

2. Adel Centre For Human rights

3. Al Aseel Association for Developmen

4. Al baghooz Hope for Development

5. Al-Kawakibi Center for Transitional Justice and Human Rights

6. Alseeraj Sweden

7. Amal Alfurat organization

8. Amal Healing and Advocacy Center

9. Anwar Al Ghad Organization

10. Association of Victims of Chemical Weapons

11. Badael

12. Baladn

13. Bassmet Wattan Center

14. Baytna

15. Be free team

16. Better Tomorrow organization

17. Caesar Families Association

18. Center for Civil Society and Democracy, CCSD

19. Center for Extremism Studies

20. Change Makers

21. Civil Center in Atarb

22. Community Solidarity Organization

23. Deirna Organization

24. Diaa Alamal Association

25. Do Not Suffocate The Truth

26. Dozana

27. Ebdaa organization for Development

28. Elaf for reilaf and development

29. Enma Aljazera organization

30. Enmaa

31. Enmaa Alfourat

32. Environment Protection and Sustainable Development Organization

33. Eve Humanitarian Association

34. Families of Truth and Justice

35. Finjan

36. Fraternity Foundation for Human Rights -FFHR

37. Future Makers Team

38. Hajeen organization

39. Haneen.alfurat

40. Hevy for relief and development

41. Holm for Development

42. Hooz Center for Social Development

43. HOPE LINKS for DEVELOPMENT

44. Hope Makers

45. House of Citizenship Organization

46. Hurras Network

47. Ishtar Development Organization

48. Jana Watan

49. Jozour Syria civil Society Organization

50. Justice and sustainable development

51. Justice-paths

52. Kesh Malek

53. Khutwa association

54. Kurdish Human Rights Committee - Observer

55. Kurdish International Committee for Human Rights

56. LACU

57. Lawyers and Doctors for human rights

58. Local Development and Small-Projects Support (LDSPS)

59. Mihad

60. Mnemonic - Syrian Archive

61. Multka Alnhren Organization

62. Nawras development organization

63. Pioneers of peace

64. Pro-justice organization

65. Quality for Research and Development QRD

66. Rising for freedom

67. Safe land

68. Sanabel Al Furat Development Organization

69. Sawaeed Organization for Development

70. SEMA

71. Sphere organization for Studies and Development S.S.D

72. Syria Faith initiative

73. Syrian American Council (SAC)

74. Syrian British Consortium

75. Syrian center for legal studies and research

76. Syrıan Expatriate Medical ASSOCCIATION

77. Syrian feminist society

78. Syrian Forum

79. Syrian Lawyers Aggrigation

80. Syrian Swedish Democratic Forum SSDF-Syrisk-Svenska

Demokratiförbundet

81. Syrians Gathered

82. Taafi initiative

83. Tara organization

84. TASTAKEL

85. Tayif Humanitarian Organization

86. The Day After

87. The Lebanese Center for Human Rights (CLDH)

88. The Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)

89. The Syrian Legal Development Programme

90. The Syrian Swedish Assosiation

91. Togther For Aljarnyia

92. Tree of Life organization

93. Union of Revolutionary Bureaus ( URB)

94. Union of syrian coordinations around the world

95. Vision organization

96. Women For Peace

97. Women Now for Development

98. Women's Organization for Transitional Justice

99. Zahrat alfurat Organization

100. Zameen for development and peace bulding

جمعية الأصدقاء للاغاثة والتنمية . 101

جمعية ماري للثقافة والفنون والبيئة . 102

مركز الدفاع عن الحريات . 103

مركز الماسة للدراسات والأبحاث والاستشارات والتحكيم والتدريب . 104

منظمة سارا لمناهضة العنف ضد المراة . 105

منظمة مع ا نبني الوطن . 106