Syria Court Delivers D**th Sentence Against Ex-President Assad

A Syrian court has sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad and his younger brother, Maher al-Assad, to death in absentia over alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Syria’s prolonged conflict.

According to IREPORTER Online, the verdict was delivered on Tuesday by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, marking a significant legal development involving Assad and members of his inner circle since his family’s decades-long rule ended in December 2024.

The Syrian conflict, which continued for about 14 years, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions more from their homes.

Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan, who delivered the ruling, said Bashar al-Assad had used state institutions in the commission of crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Assad’s maternal cousin, Atef Najib, was also handed a death sentence in the same case. He was convicted over his alleged role in the security crackdown in Daraa, where protests in 2011 became a major catalyst for the uprising that eventually developed into a nationwide civil war.

Najib, a former Syrian army brigadier general who headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa during the early phase of the uprising, was present in court as the judgment was announced under heavy security.

The unrest began after several teenagers were reportedly arrested over anti-government graffiti on a school wall. The incident triggered public anger and demonstrations, which were met with a government crackdown before the crisis escalated into an armed conflict involving multiple domestic and foreign actors.

The conflict eventually culminated in the collapse of Assad’s government after opposition forces launched a rapid offensive in late 2024. Bashar and Maher Assad subsequently fled Syria for Russia, where they were granted political asylum.

Syria’s new authorities have since called on Moscow to extradite members of the Assad family so they can face prosecution over alleged crimes committed during the conflict.

Maher Assad previously commanded the Syrian military’s 4th Armoured Division, a powerful unit that opposition groups accused of involvement in serious abuses during the war.

The death sentences against Bashar and Maher were handed down in their absence, as both brothers remain outside Syria.