Syria sentences Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia over war crimes

A Syrian court has sentenced ousted president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for crimes including murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity committed during Syria's nearly 14-year civil war.

The ruling, handed down on Tuesday, marks the first conviction of Assad by a Syrian court since he was overthrown in December 2024, bringing an end to more than five decades of rule by the Assad family.

The verdict prompted celebrations outside the court in Damascus, where crowds chanted, applauded and waved Syrian flags.

Assad fled Damascus as rebel forces advanced on the capital during their rapid offensive in late 2024. He and his family were subsequently granted asylum in Russia on humanitarian grounds, where he remains.

Assad convicted in absentia

A judge delivered the death sentence against Assad during proceedings involving former members of his government.

The court found him responsible for premeditated and intentional killings involving multiple victims, including children, as well as torture, arbitrary arrests and crimes against humanity.

His younger brother, Maher al-Assad, who commanded Syria's powerful Fourth Armoured Division, was also sentenced to death in absentia.

The division played a central role in suppressing opposition to Assad's government and in military operations to retake territory from rebel groups during the conflict. Maher has also been accused of involvement in Syria's illicit drug trade.

Former security official Atef Najib, a cousin of the Assad family and a key figure in the early crackdown on protests in the southern province of Deraa, also received a death sentence.

Najib was arrested by Syrian security forces in early 2025 and was the only defendant in the case to appear personally before the court.

Families welcome verdict

The sentencing was met with celebrations in Deraa, the city where anti-Assad protests first erupted in 2011.

Crowds carried photographs of people who were arrested or killed during the conflict, including 13-year-old Hamza al-Khatib, whose death after being detained by Syrian security forces became an early symbol of the uprising.

Prosecutor Noha al-Masri, whose brother was killed during the government's crackdown on a Deraa protest in 2011, said the ruling reflected the suffering endured by Syrian families.

The case followed almost four months of proceedings and has been presented by Syria's new Islamist-led authorities as an important step towards transitional justice and accountability for abuses committed under the former government.

But legal experts have questioned whether the death sentences could make it harder for Syria to secure the return of Assad and other defendants living abroad.

Anwar al-Bunni, head of the Syrian Centre for Legal Studies and Research, said countries would be unlikely to extradite people to a state where they could face execution.

He described the ruling as "performative justice" rather than genuine transitional justice.

Assad's dramatic fall

Assad became president in 2000 following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled Syria for nearly three decades.

His government maintained close ties with Russia and Iran and continued the Assad family's dominance over the country.

His presidency was ultimately defined by the civil war that began in 2011, when demonstrations demanding political reform and democracy were met with a violent security crackdown.

The conflict escalated into a complex war involving rebel groups, Islamist militants and foreign powers. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed and millions were displaced.

Despite losing large areas of the country during the early stages of the conflict, Assad remained in power with crucial military and political support from Russia and Iran.

His government was also accused of using chemical weapons against opposition-held areas, allegations Assad repeatedly denied.

That changed dramatically in late 2024, when rebel forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa launched a lightning offensive across Syria.

The campaign lasted less than two weeks before opposition forces captured Damascus, forcing Assad to flee the country and ending his family's decades-long rule.