Syrian court sentences Bashar Assad and his brother to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes

Former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was convicted of premeditated murder of multiple people, including children, torture, arbitrary detention, and crimes against humanity. A Syrian court sentenced ousted leader ⁠Bashar al-Assad ⁠to death on Tuesday ⁠after a trial in absentia, convicting him of crimes including killings, torture, and arbitrary arrest during the country’s nearly 14-year war. It was the first conviction against ‌Assad, who was ousted in a rebel offensive in December 2024 that ended decades of his family’s iron-fisted rule over Syria and the brutal war that killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians.

Assad fled the capital Damascus as rebel fighters... The ex-president is convicted of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country's civil war. A criminal court in Damascus sentenced former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia on Tuesday for premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity.

Assad was ousted in December 2024 and is living in exile in Moscow. It is the first public sentence handed down against the man who governed Syria for more than two decades. SYRIA: A SYRIAN court on Tuesday sentenced former President Bashar Assad to death in absentia.

Assad was ousted in December 2024 after rebel forces swept into Damascus, ending more than five decades of rule by the Assad family. He fled to Russia, where he was granted asylum, while Syria’s new authorities have begun pursuing former officials over alleged crimes committed during the country’s civil war. The court also handed the death penalty to Atef Najib, a senior security official under Assad’s rule and a cousin of the former dictator.

He was arrested while trying to flee the country in January 2025. The post Syria sentences Bashar Assad to death in absentia appeared first on Daily News. Syria: Court sentences Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia in landmark trial Submitted by MEE staff on Tue, 08/11/2026 - 09:46 Damascus court sentenced Syria's former strongman, his brother Maher and former security official Atef Najib to death on charges of murder, torture and incitement to murder Off A Damascus court sentenced Syria's former strongman Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher and former security official Atef Najib to death on Tuesday on charges of murder, torture and incitement to murder.

The court convicted Bashar of premeditated murder of multiple people, including children, as well as torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity. Najib was tried in person, while Bashar and Maher were tried in absentia. Former security official Najib, a cousin of Assad, was arrested in January last year and was convicted of crimes including murder, "the intentional killing of children under 15", and "torture leading to death".