Syrian Court Sentences Ousted President Bashar al-Assad to Death

A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced former ruler Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia after finding him guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Syria’s civil war.

Assad left Syria with his family and went to Moscow in December 2024 as rebel forces moved toward Damascus. He was not present in court when the sentence was announced.

The ruling is the first major case against a former government figure under Syria’s transitional authorities. The authorities have started prosecuting officials from the previous government, both in person and in absentia.

Assad was born in 1965 and became president in 2000 after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad.

His rule was dominated by the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011 after protests calling for democratic reforms. The conflict later developed into a prolonged war involving several local and foreign groups.

The court also sentenced former Assad-era official Atif Najib to death for “crimes against humanity”. Najib, a cousin of Bashar al-Assad, previously served as head of political security in Daraa province, where the 2011 uprising began.

Najib was arrested in January last year and was convicted of several crimes, including murder, “the intentional killing of children under 15” and “torture leading to death”.

The court said the acts committed by Najib amounted to “crimes against humanity” and imposed “the harshest punishment against him, which is the death penalty”.