Syrian court sentences Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for crimes against humanity

Damascus' criminal court on Tuesday sentenced former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity. The judge, Fakhr al-Din al-Uryan, also sentenced eight others to death, including al-Assad's brother Maher and Najib, the only defendant present.

Najib, a former brigadier general, was found guilty of ordering the detention and torture of minors who painted anti-government slogans on a school wall, an incident that sparked the uprising. The court found al-Assad guilty of the intentional killing of more than one person, including children, as well as torture and arbitrary detention.

Najib was captured in Latakia in 2025, and the other six defendants were sentenced for premeditated murder and torture resulting in death. The war, which lasted 14 years and claimed half a million lives, marked the beginning of the transitional justice phase, with forces led by current interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa in control. However, enforcement of the sentence is unfeasible while al-Assad and his brother remain in Russia.