Syrian Court Sentences Bashar Al-Assad, Maher Al-Assad, Atef Najib To Death In Absentia

A Syrian court sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad and his younger brother Maher al-Assad to death in absentia on Tuesday, convicting them of crimes against humanity and war crimes during Syria’s 14-year conflict that left about half a million people dead.

““Bashar Assad used state agencies to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity,””

AP News

Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan said in court that "Bashar Assad used state agencies to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity," as the session was aired live on state TV.

Al-Monitor

The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus delivered the verdict amid tight security, and the sentences were described as the first against Assad or members of his inner circle since the Assad family’s five decades in power came to an end 20 months ago.

The court also sentenced Assad’s maternal cousin Atef Najib to death, after convicting him of overseeing a crackdown in the southern province of Daraa that led to the uprising and later the civil war.

Assad and Maher fled to Russia after the government’s fall in December 2024, and Syria’s new rulers have asked Russia to hand the Assads over.

Outside the courthouse in central Damascus, a crowd gathered to hear the verdict, and attorney Adnan al-Masalmeh said, "Today is the day of justice for all the wounded, martyrs, detainees and Syrians who were forced to leave their country."

The Associated Press reported that some of Najib’s victims were present at the courthouse, including Mouawiya Sayasneh, who said, "Today we reached a point where the blood was not wasted," after the crackdown in Daraa.

AP News

Human Rights Watch opposed the death penalty in all cases, and Hiba Zayadin, Syria researcher at Human Rights Watch, said, "It’s cruel and irreversible, especially when a fair trial isn’t guaranteed."

BBC reported that Assad remains based in Russia, making the execution of the ruling practically contingent on his arrest or extradition to the Syrian authorities.

BBC also said there has been no statement from Assad or his representatives regarding the ruling yet.

The verdicts marked the end of the first trial related to the war held in Syria since Assad was overthrown in December 2024, and they were met with celebrations inside and outside the courthouse in Damascus, the capital.

“an “important step toward justice, fairness for victims, and the consolidation of the rule of law.””

New York Times

The New York Times reported that the Syrian government formed by the rebels who ousted Assad established a National Commission for Transitional Justice, and the head of the commission, Abdul Basit Abdul Latif, said on Tuesday that the verdict against Najib was an "important step toward justice, fairness for victims, and the consolidation of the rule of law."

BBC said the ruling comes as Syrian authorities this year have begun trying a number of officials linked to the former regime, some in absentia and others in person, in what they say is an effort to hold accountable those responsible for the violations committed during the years of the conflict.

BBC also noted that the session was held in the presence of the Prosecutor General of the Republic Hasan al-Turba and the head of the National Commission for Transitional Justice Abdul Baset Abdul-Latif, along with representatives from international legal and human rights organizations and relatives of the victims.

In parallel, BBC described how Assad’s rule began facing protests after the arrest of children who wrote anti-Assad slogans on the city walls in Daraa, and how the authorities responded to the protests with force, turning them into armed clashes and then a war.