Syria Court Sentences Former President Bashar al-Assad To Death In Absentia

Syria’s former president Bashar al-Assad, his younger brother Maher al-Assad and their cousin Atef Najib have been sentenced to death over crimes committed during the country’s nearly 14-year conflict. The Damascus Criminal Court found Bashar al-Assad guilty of premeditated murder, torture and crimes against humanity, handing down the sentence in absentia. Maher al-Assad was also sentenced in absentia for premeditated murder and torture. Najib, a former senior security official in Deraa, was sentenced separately for crimes against humanity following his role in the deadly crackdown on protesters in 2011.

Assad Brothers Sentenced

The Criminal Court in Damascus issued the verdicts on Tuesday in what marks a major judicial step by Syria’s transitional authorities against senior figures from the former government.

Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in 2024 and has since been living in exile in Russia, was convicted of premeditated murder, torture and crimes against humanity.

The court sentenced him to death in absentia, meaning he was not present when the verdict was delivered.

His younger brother, Maher al-Assad, who is also believed to be living in Russia, received the same sentence. He was convicted of premeditated murder and torture.

The verdicts are among the most significant legal actions taken against members of the Assad family since the fall of the former government.

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First Major Trials

The proceedings represent the first major trials of former government figures under Syria’s transitional authorities, which began pursuing members of the previous administration this year.

Judge Al-Aryan said testimony from witnesses established Bashar al-Assad’s role as the country’s “highest decision-maker” in the alleged crimes.

The judge said the former president had used state institutions to facilitate the commission of those crimes, according to the court’s findings.

The verdicts are likely to carry significant political and symbolic weight in Syria, where years of conflict left hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced.

For many Syrians who suffered under the former government, the court proceedings represent an attempt to establish accountability for abuses committed during the war.

The death sentences, however, were handed down while Bashar and Maher al-Assad remain outside Syria, meaning their immediate enforcement would depend on their return or extradition.

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