Damascus court sentences Former Syrian President Assad to death for war crimes
A Damascus court sentenced ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, the first such ruling by the country's transitional government on a senior figure of the former government
The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus sentenced Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher and former security official Atef Najib to death on charges including murder, torture and incitement to murder. Najib was tried in person, while the Assad brothers were tried in absentia.
The court also ordered that Bashar and Maher be pursued internationally.
Assad was convicted of premeditated murder, including of children, along with torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity.
Assad fled with his family to Moscow in December 2024 as opposition forces closed in on Damascus. The ruling is the first issued under Syria's transitional authorities, which began prosecuting former government figures this year, both in person and in absentia.
Najib, a former brigadier general who led the Political Security Branch in Daraa in 2011, stood in a cage during sentencing.