A Syrian court issued a death sentence in absentia to former Syrian President Bashar Assad and his younger brother for crimes against humanity and war crimes during Syria’s 14-year conflict, resulting in approximately 500,000 deaths. This ruling, delivered at the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, marks the first legal action against Assad or his close associates since their regime’s downfall 20 months earlier.
Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan, in a live broadcast on state television, accused Bashar Assad of employing state mechanisms to perpetrate war crimes and crimes against humanity. Atef Najib, Assad’s maternal cousin, also received a death sentence for overseeing a brutal crackdown in Daraa that triggered the uprising and subsequent civil war.
Atef Najib, a former Syrian army brigadier general, faced trial after being sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in April 2011. He headed the political security branch in Daraa province under Assad’s leadership in 2011. During his tenure, numerous teenagers detained for anti-government graffiti in Daraa were subjected to torture, sparking widespread protests against Assad’s repressive regime.
Najib’s victims, including individuals who were teenagers during the crackdown, were present at the courthouse during the sentencing. Mouawiya Sayasneh, reflecting on the deceased victims, expressed satisfaction at Najib’s death sentence. Another detainee, Nayef Abazeid, detained at the age of 13 in 2011, welcomed the verdict, stating that true justice would be served when Bashar Assad faces a similar fate.
Meanwhile, Assad and his brother Maher sought refuge in Russia following the regime’s collapse in December 2024. The new Syrian leadership has requested Russia to extradite the Assads. Despite the court’s decision, human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, oppose the death penalty, emphasizing the importance of fair trial standards and a lasting justice system for accountability in Assad-era crimes.