Syrian court sentences ex-president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes

A Syrian court has sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity. His younger brother, Maher al-Assad, and maternal cousin, Atef Najib, were also given the death penalty. Najib, a former senior Syrian security official, was present in court and had been accused of overseeing the 2011 crackdown in Daraa that helped trigger the uprising against the regime.

According to Live Mint, Najib headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa in 2011 and was detained by Syrian security forces in early 2025. The court case marked the first convictions against the former president and members of his inner circle since the Assad family's rule ended. The Egyptian Independent reported that the sentences were handed down by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus and were aired live on state TV.

The court heard that Bashar al-Assad used state agencies to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity during Syria's 14-year conflict, which left about half a million people dead. The incident that sparked the uprising was the arrest and alleged torture of a group of teenagers for writing anti-government graffiti on a school wall in Daraa. Atef Najib was accused of overseeing the security crackdown in Daraa as protests spread across the province.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Times of Israel, Live Mint, Egypt Independent — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.