Syrian court has sentenced former president Bashar al‑Assad to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country’s 14‑year conflict that claimed nearly half a million lives.
The verdict also handed death sentences to Maher al‑Assad, Bashar’s younger brother and former military leader, and Atef Najib, Assad’s maternal cousin and ex‑brigadier general accused of leading the brutal crackdown in Daraa province in 2011 that ignited the civil war.
The court found Najib guilty of the intentional killing of children under 15 and torture leading to death, calling the acts crimes against humanity and imposing the harshest punishment.
Assad fled Syria with family members to Moscow in 2024 as Islamist‑led forces closed in on Damascus. Najib, who remained, was detained and became one of the highest‑ranking officials tried under Syria’s transitional authorities.
The ruling marks the first major verdict against figures of the Assad regime, which ruled Syria for over five decades under Bashar and his father Hafez. The Arab Spring uprising in 2011 triggered a devastating civil war, displacing millions to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and Europe.
Transitional leaders have pledged to build an inclusive political future, but sectarian tensions and the legacy of the Assad dynasty continue to fuel instability across Syria.
