Syrian court sentences Bashar al-Assad to death for war crimes and crimes against humanity
In a trial held in Syria, death sentences were handed down for Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and his cousin Atef Najib.
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A court in Syria has sentenced ousted leader Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed during the 14-year war.
The verdict, announced on Tuesday, was delivered in a case linked to the Syrian war, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 500,000 people and the displacement of millions. In the same case, Assad's brother, Maher al-Assad, was also sentenced to death in absentia.
The court also issued a death sentence for Atef Najib, a maternal cousin of Assad. Najib, who attended the hearing, was found guilty for his role in suppressing the protests that began in Daraa in 2011 and spread across the country.
It was reported that during the hearing, which was held under strict security measures, Najib was kept in a cage wearing prison attire, and the judge announced the death sentence at that time. Najib had served as a brigadier general in the Syrian army during the Bashar al-Assad era and had headed the Political Security Branch in the Daraa province.
It had been reported that Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher al-Assad fled to Russia after opposition forces entered Damascus in December 2024 under the leadership of interim President Ahmed al-Shara. This development was recorded as one of the turning points that resulted in the de facto end of the war in Syria.
Atef Najib, on the other hand, was subsequently taken into custody and became one of the highest-ranking figures from the former regime to be put on trial. The ruling is considered one of the most significant steps in the process of holding former regime officials in Syria accountable.