Syrian Court Sentences Former President Bashar Al-Assad To Death In Absentia

A Syrian court has sentenced ousted former President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia after convicting him of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country’s 14-year civil war.

The verdict, delivered on Tuesday by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, is the first death sentence against Assad or members of his inner circle since the Assad family’s more than five-decade rule came to an end in December 2024.

“Bashar Assad used state agencies to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan said while reading the verdict during a court session broadcast live on state television.

Assad was sentenced alongside his younger brother, Maher al-Assad, while his maternal cousin, Atef Najib, was also handed a death sentence in the same case.

Najib, who was present in court and appeared inside a cage wearing a prisoner’s uniform, was convicted over his role in the violent crackdown in the southern province of Daraa in 2011.

Daraa is widely regarded as the birthplace of the uprising against Assad’s rule, after the arrest and alleged torture of teenagers accused of writing anti-government graffiti on a school wall triggered protests.

Najib, a former Syrian army brigadier general, served as head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa at the time. He was convicted of offences including murder, the intentional killing of children under 15, and torture leading to death.

The crackdown on protesters quickly spread across Syria, eventually developing into a devastating civil war that lasted for 14 years and left about half a million people dead.

Assad fled Damascus with his family after rebel forces overthrew his government in December 2024 following an 11-day offensive led by forces under Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is now Syria’s president.

Assad and Maher subsequently travelled to Moscow, where they were granted political asylum.

Syria’s new authorities have called on Russia to hand the former president and his brother over for prosecution, but it remains unclear whether Damascus will be able to secure their extradition.

The latest verdict is part of efforts by Syria’s interim government to hold senior officials and security personnel linked to the former regime accountable.

The new authorities began prosecuting individuals associated with Assad’s government earlier this year, although many senior figures remain outside Syria.

Najib is among the highest-ranking former regime officials to face trial since Assad’s fall.

He was sanctioned by the United States Department of the Treasury in April 2011 over his role in the crackdown against protesters in Daraa.

Maher al-Assad was a former commander of Syria’s 4th Armored Division, an elite military formation that played a major role in suppressing opposition to the Assad government.

Syrian opposition activists have accused the division of involvement in killings, torture, extortion and drug trafficking, as well as operating detention facilities.

The Assad family ruled Syria for more than 50 years, beginning with Bashar’s father, Hafez al-Assad, who took power in 1970.

Bashar al-Assad succeeded his father in 2000 and remained president until his government was toppled in December 2024.

An arrest warrant was issued against Assad by Syria’s new authorities last December over allegations including murder and torture.

Before his removal from power, attempts by Syrian opposition figures to pursue Assad through courts in Western countries did not result in convictions.

The death sentence handed down on Tuesday is therefore a major legal development against the former Syrian leader, although its enforcement remains uncertain as Assad remains in Russia.