Ex-Syrian President Bashar Assad sentenced to death for ‘crimes against humanity’

On Tuesday, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his younger brother Maher were sentenced to death for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes during the country's 14-year conflict, which has resulted in approximately half a million deaths, according to a report by AP. Assad's maternal cousin, Atef Najib, who led the crackdown in the southern province of Daraa, was also sentenced to death for his role in the uprising that sparked the civil war.

As the judge read the sentencing, Najib remained defiant in a cage wearing a prisoner's uniform amidst a crowd gathered outside the courthouse in Damascus. Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan accused Assad of using state agencies to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity. This marks the first sentencing since the end of the Assad family's five-decade rule 20 months ago.

Following an uprising against the government, Assad and his brother fled to Russia in December 2024, receiving political asylum under President Vladimir Putin's administration. The Daraa crackdown, which began during Najib's tenure as a brigadier general in the Syrian military and head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa province, marked a turning point in Syrian history.

Protests against the Assad regime escalated into a brutal government crackdown, eventually leading to a 14-year civil war that ended Assad's regime and resulted in his exile.