Syria sentences Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia over atrocities

A Syrian court has sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for atrocities committed during the country's civil war. According to The Times of Israel, Assad's cousin Atef Najib, who was present in the Damascus court, also received the death penalty for overseeing the 2011 crackdown that helped trigger the uprising against the regime.

Ajel English reports that Syrians across the country marked the court's decision, which also sentenced Assad's brother Maher Assad and Atef Najib to death.

Live Mint provides additional details on Najib's role, stating that he was a former senior Syrian security official and cousin of Bashar al-Assad, who headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa in 2011. Najib was accused of overseeing the security crackdown in Daraa as protests spread across the province.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria, The Times of Israel, Ajel English, Live Mint — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.