Ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has been sentenced to death in absentia after a Syrian court convicted him of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country’s civil war.
The verdict marks the first conviction against Assad, who fled Syria for Moscow with his family after his regime was overthrown in December 2024. His fall ended more than five decades of rule by the Assad family.
Assad’s cousin Atef Najib, the former head of political security in southern Syria’s Deraa province, was also sentenced to death. Najib appeared in court wearing a striped prison uniform and standing inside a cage as the judge delivered his sentence.
Deraa is widely regarded as the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against Assad. Protests began after security forces detained and allegedly tortured teenagers accused of writing anti-government graffiti, with the subsequent crackdown helping fuel demonstrations across the country.
The protests eventually escalated into a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands of people and left millions displaced.
Syria’s interim government began prosecuting officials associated with the former Assad regime earlier this year. Najib is among the most senior figures to face trial and was convicted of several crimes. This includes murder, the intentional killing of children under 15, and torture resulting in death.
The court also sentenced six former military and security officials to death in absentia. Those convicted included Assad’s younger brother Maher al-Assad, and former defence minister Fahd al-Freij.
For victims of the former regime, the verdict represents a long-awaited step towards accountability. Nouha al-Masri, a member of the five-person prosecution team and a plaintiff in the case, lost her brother during the March 2011 crackdown and killings at Al-Omari Square in Deraa.
Victim’s Account
“We have been waiting for 15 years to reclaim even a small part of our rights,” Masri told the BBC. Further describing the verdict as a reflection of the suffering endured by victims.
She said the proceedings should not mark the end of efforts to hold former regime officials accountable.
“In the new Syria, there will be no impunity from this day forward,” she added.
It remains unclear whether Syria’s new authorities can secure the extradition of Bashar and Maher al-Assad from Russia.
The new Syrian leadership previously issued an arrest warrant for Bashar al-Assad in December. Further accusing him of murder and torture. He fled the country after forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, now Syria’s president, swept into power during an 11-day offensive that brought down the Assad dynasty.
Since then, the interim government has detained numerous former officials and security personnel. However, many senior figures from the former regime remain outside Syria. Assad and members of his inner circle are believed to be beyond the reach of the new authorities.
Previous attempts by Syrian opposition figures to pursue Assad through courts in Western countries during his final years in power did not result in convictions.
Assad’s Reign
Assad became president in 2000 following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled Syria for nearly three decades. Bashar was not originally expected to inherit the presidency. However, he became his family’s successor after his older brother Basil died in a car crash in 1994.
A member of Syria’s Alawite minority, Bashar al-Assad maintained the community’s strong presence within the country’s military, security and intelligence institutions. His rule was ultimately defined by the brutal civil war that began in 2011. Also, the widespread allegations of abuses committed by his government throughout the conflict.
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