Middle East Correspondent
A Syrian court sentenced Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia on August 11, marking the first conviction against the former president since his government was overthrown in December 2024.
Assad, who fled to Moscow with his family after his government collapsed, was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Syria’s 13-year civil war.
His cousin Atef Najib, the former head of political security in the southern province of Deraa, was also sentenced to death.
Najib appeared in court wearing a striped prison uniform and standing inside a cage as the judge read out his sentence.
He was convicted of offences including murder, the intentional killing of children under 15 and torture resulting in death.
Deraa is widely regarded as the birthplace of the uprising against Assad’s rule.
In March 2011, the detention and alleged torture of teenagers accused of writing anti-government graffiti triggered protests in the city.
The demonstrations were met with a violent crackdown by security forces, helping to spark a nationwide uprising that developed into a devastating civil war.
Hundreds of thousands of people were killed during the conflict, while millions were forced to flee their homes.
Syria’s interim authorities began prosecuting senior figures linked to the former regime earlier this year as part of efforts to establish accountability for crimes committed during Assad’s rule.
Six former military and security officials were also sentenced to death in absentia, including Assad’s younger brother Maher al-Assad, who commanded the elite Fourth Division of the Syrian Army.
Former defence minister Fahd al-Freij was among the other officials convicted.
An arrest warrant was issued for Bashar al-Assad last December over allegations of murder and torture.
He fled to Moscow after forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, now Syria’s president, swept to power in an 11-day offensive that brought an end to the Assad family’s five-decade rule.
The new authorities have since detained numerous former regime officials and security personnel. However, many senior figures remain outside Syria, including Assad himself.
Previous attempts by Syrian opposition figures to pursue Assad through courts in Western countries during his presidency did not result in convictions.
Assad became president in 2000 following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled Syria for nearly three decades.
He had not initially been expected to succeed his father, but became heir after his older brother Basil was killed in a car crash in 1994.
His presidency was dominated by the civil war that began in 2011 and the government’s violent response to opposition to his rule.
