Syrian authorities have issued an arrest warrant for the country’s long-time president Bashar al-Assad, more than nine months after his ouster, a judge said on Saturday.
Al-Assad, who governed Syria for more than two decades, fled to Russia in December after an Islamist-led rebel alliance advanced on the capital Damascus.
An arrest warrant in absentia was issued for al-Assad on charges of premeditated murder and torture leading to death, Syria’s state news agency SANA quoted investigative judge in Damascus, Tawfiq al-Ali, as saying on Saturday.
The charges are related to a 2011 crackdown by al-Assad’s forces in the southern city of Daraa.
In 2011, a pro-democracy peaceful uprising erupted against al-Assad’s rule, demanding political change.
However, his government responded with brutal oppression. The situation soon evolved into a full-blown conflict that resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and massive devastation.
Hundreds of thousands more ended up in prison, subjected to torture or disappearance, according to rights advocates.
“The judicial decision opens the door to circulating the notice through Interpol [International Police] and pursuing the case internationally,” Judge al-Ali said.
He added that the step comes in response to a lawsuit filed by the victims’ families. Daraa is deemed the cradle of the anti-Assad uprising.
Syrian media reported that the Ministry of Justice issued the warrant on Thursday on charges that also included an assault intended to incite civil war.
Since al-Assad’s fall, Syria’s new leadership has sought to project a moderate image and respect for human rights, as they seek international economic support to rebuild the country devastated by more than a decade of strife.