Syria sentences Bashar Assad to death in absentia

On Tuesday, a Syrian court handed former President Bashar Assad a death sentence in absentia. Assad's rule had ended in December 2024 following a rebel takeover of Damascus that lasted over five decades. Along with his family, Assad had sought asylum in Russia. The court found Assad guilty of premeditated and intentional murder of multiple people, including children, as well as torture, arbitrary arrest, and crimes against humanity.

The judge emphasized that Assad was the individual ultimately responsible for decision-making and mobilizing state institutions to commit these acts. The verdict was delivered by Damascus' Fourth Criminal Court and broadcast live on Syrian state television. Born in 1965, Assad took office in 2000 upon his father Hafez Assad's death, continuing the family's long rule of Syria.

The Syrian government sought Assad's extradition from Russia, and his brother Maher, along with several others from the ousted government, received the same death sentence for premeditated murder and torture. Additionally, senior security official Atef Najib, who was arrested while attempting to flee Syria in January 2025, was also sentenced to death in absentia.

Najib, a former army brigadier general, headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa during the 2011 uprising against Assad's regime and was tried for murder, intentional killing of children, and torture resulting in death, which the court deemed crimes against humanity.