Syria sentences Bashar Assad to death for war crimes and crimes against humanity
Former Syrian president was convicted in absentia over atrocities committed during the 13-year civil war; his brother Maher Assad and former security chief Atef Najib were also sentenced to death
A Syrian court handed down a death sentence to former President Bashar Assad on Tuesday, convicting him of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country's 13-year civil war. The verdict was issued while Assad was absent, as he remains in Russia under political asylum provided by President Vladimir Putin. The civil war began in 2011 and continued for over a decade, causing widespread devastation in Syria.
Assad's brother, Maher Assad, was also sentenced to death. Maher held significant power as the commander of the Syrian army's 4th Division and was considered one of the most brutal figures in the former regime. Additionally, Atef Najib, who led security forces in the southern province of Daraa, where the uprising against Assad initially took place around 15 years ago, received the death sentence, this time in person.
These rulings represent the first of their kind issued by Syrian courts against senior figures from Assad's ousted regime.
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