Ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad sentenced to death in absentia

A Syrian tribunal has sentenced ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia after finding him guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country’s civil war. The ruling marks the first conviction against Assad, who fled Damascus for Moscow with his family after his government was toppled in December 2024, ending his family’s five‑decade hold on power. Assad’s relative and the former head of military intelligence in southern Syria’s Deraa province, Atef Najib, also received a death sentence. Najib, who had been placed on trial, appeared in the courtroom wearing a striped prison uniform inside a cage as the judge read out his verdict. Deraa is widely regarded as the birthplace of the uprising against Assad’s rule. In March 2011, the detention and alleged torture of a group of teenagers accused of writing anti‑government graffiti triggered protests in the city, which were met with a violent crackdown by security forces. That incident helped ignite nationwide demonstrations that escalated into civil war, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. Syria’s interim government began prosecuting officials linked to the Assad regime earlier this year. The regime had governed the state for more than 50 years. Najib is among the highest‑ranking officials to stand trial. He was convicted of murder, “the intentional killing of children under 15,” and “torture leading to death.” The tribunal also sentenced six former military and security officials in absentia to death, including Bashar al‑Assad’s younger brother, Maher. Maher commanded the army’s elite Fourth Division and fled to Moscow when the government collapsed. Other convicted individuals include former defence minister Fahd al‑Freij.