Damascus: An arrest warrant was issued in absentia today for former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on charges related to the 2011 Daraa events.
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, the Seventh Investigative Judge in Damascus, Tawfiq al-Ali, said in a statement today: "The arrest warrant against the former regime includes charges of premeditated murder, torture leading to death, and deprivation of liberty. The judicial decision opens the door to circulating the notice through Interpol and pursuing the case internationally."
He explained that "this action comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the families of the victims of the Daraa events that occurred on November 23, 2011."