France's highest court annulled an arrest warrant against Bashar al-Assad, citing presidential immunity despite allegations of war crimes related to 2013 chemical attacks. The Court of Cassation determined no exceptions apply to presidential immunity, but stated new warrants could be issued since Assad is no longer president. Human rights advocates viewed the ruling as a setback for efforts to hold war criminals accountable. The warrant originally charged Assad with complicity in a sarin gas attack that killed over 1,000 people in 2013. The case involved universal jurisdiction laws allowing prosecution for serious crimes regardless of location.
The Court of Cassation ruled there were no exceptions to presidential immunity, even for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. However, new arrest warrants can be issued against him.
Human rights advocates saw this ruling as a setback for the global fight against impunity for the most serious crimes under international law.
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