The Seventh Investigative Judge in Damascus, Tawfiq al-Ali, has issued an arrest warrant in absentia for former President Bashar al-Assad in connection with the events that took place in Daraa on November 23, 2011, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

Judge al-Ali stated on Saturday that the warrant includes charges of premeditated murder, torture leading to death, and unlawful deprivation of liberty. He noted that the judicial decision allows for the warrant to be circulated via Interpol and for the case to be pursued internationally.

He added that this action is based on a lawsuit filed by the families of victims of the Daraa events, affirming the continued legal proceedings to prosecute those responsible for crimes linked to the former regime.

The Daraa Events:

The events in Daraa in 2011 were the spark that ignited the Syrian revolution against Bashar al-Assad’s regime. In March of that year, children in the city of Daraa wrote anti-government slogans on school walls, which led to their arrest and torture by security forces. This provoked public outrage and triggered peaceful protests demanding the release of the detainees and political reforms.

These protests were met with violent repression by the regime, as security forces and the military used excessive force to disperse demonstrators, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries.

The crackdown caused the protests to spread across various Syrian cities, with demands shifting from reform to the overthrow of the regime.

The Daraa events are considered the beginning of the popular uprising that later escalated into an armed conflict, leading to a prolonged civil war that deeply impacted Syria’s political and humanitarian landscape.