Why Assad probably won't face war crimes charges

U.N. weapons inspectors are reportedly convinced that Syria's president used chemical weapons on his own people. That doesn't mean he'll be punished.

Assad
(Image credit: (AP Photo/SANA))

Next Monday, an inspection team will report to the United Nations that it found a "wealth" of evidence that the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons in an attack near Damascus that killed more than 1,400 people, according to Foreign Policy.

The report "will not directly accuse the Syrian regime of gassing its own people," reports Foreign Policy, but will present evidence based on rocket casings and ammunition, along with blood, soil, and urine samples that "points strongly in the direction of Syrian government culpability."

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Keith Wagstaff is a staff writer at TheWeek.com covering politics and current events. He has previously written for such publications as TIME, Details, VICE, and the Village Voice.