Ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad sentenced to death in absentia

Syrian court convicts Bashar al-Assad of war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country's civil war, sentencing him to death in absentia. This marks the first conviction against the ousted dictator who fled to Moscow after his regime fell in December 2024, ending five decades of family rule. Assad's cousin, Atef Najib, who served as the former head of political security in southern Syria's Daraa province, also received a death sentence.

Daraa is considered the birthplace of the uprising against Assad. The court convicted six other former military and security officials in absentia, including Assad's younger brother, Maher, who ran the army's elite Fourth Division. Hundreds of people gathered outside the courthouse, expressing joy and calling for the hanging of Assad and his aides.