Syria's new government asks Kremlin to extradite Bashar al-Assad for trial – Al Arabiya
Vladimir Putin and Bashar Assad (Photo: ERA)
The new Syrian administration has made a formal request to the Kremlin for the extradition of the deposed dictator Bashar al-Assad, who took refuge in Moscow and was granted asylum. They are seeking to prosecute him for atrocities committed against his own citizens, as reported by Al Arabiya, citing knowledgeable sources.
As per the publication’s sources, Moscow has received an official appeal from the interim Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is also the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group.
The sources also mentioned that during the visit of a Russian delegation to Damascus in January, the Syrian representatives broached the topic of the potential transfer of Assad to Moscow for a trial in Syria.
Nonetheless, after three hours of discussions, the Russian representatives concluded that the issue of Assad’s extradition “does not pose an insurmountable barrier to the re-establishment of relations” between the two nations.
Previously, Reuters, citing diplomatic insiders, reported that the new Syrian leader also requested the return of funds that Assad had deposited in Russia. In response, members of the Russian delegation during talks with al-Sharaa asserted that the Assad family supposedly does not possess any financial resources in Russia.
- On November 27, 2024, the Syrian resistance movement initiated a significant offensive against the Assad government forces in the western region of Aleppo province.
- On December 8, the insurgents captured Damascus and announced the collapse of the Assad regime, which had been in power for over 50 years.
- Assad sought refuge in Russia. Once in Moscow, the former Syrian dictator made his first public statement since the downfall of his regime, claiming he had no intentions of leaving the country and confirmed that he ultimately escaped on a Russian aircraft.
