France Convicts Three Senior Syrian Officials of Crimes Against Humanity

The Paris Criminal Court has handed down a historic guilty verdict against three high-ranking officials of the Bashar al-Assad regime, sentencing them to life imprisonment for complicity in crimes against humanity. Ali Mamlouk, a 78-year-old security adviser to Assad, Jamil Hassan, 72, and Abdel Salam Mahmoud, both senior intelligence officials, were found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The verdict was delivered in absentia, as the defendants still reside in Syria. The court also maintained international arrest warrants for the three men. Rights campaigners have hailed the trial and verdict as a significant step towards holding the Syrian regime accountable for human rights abuses, including torture and murder.