A Syrian court has sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia over crimes committed during the country’s nearly 14-year war. His brother Maher al-Assad and cousin Atef Najib were also sentenced to death.
The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus found Bashar al-Assad guilty of premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary arrests and crimes against humanity. He was ousted in December 2024 and now lives in exile in Russia.
Maher al-Assad and Atef Najib
Maher al-Assad, the former president’s younger brother, was also sentenced to death in absentia for premeditated murder and torture.
Najib, the former head of political security in Syria’s southern Deraa province, was sentenced to death after being convicted of crimes including murder, the intentional killing of children under 15 and torture leading to death.
He was arrested in January 2025 and was the only one of the three to appear in court in person. He was wearing a prison uniform when the judge read the sentence.
Najib was involved in the crackdown on protesters in Deraa in 2011, an episode that helped trigger the uprising that developed into Syria’s civil war.
Other former officials sentenced
Several other senior military and security officials who fled Syria were also sentenced to death in absentia.
They include former Defence Minister Fahd al-Freij and Louay al-Ali, who served as military intelligence chief in Deraa in 2011.
Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said witness testimony established Bashar al-Assad’s role as the “highest decision-maker” who used state institutions to facilitate the crimes.
The ruling marks the first convictions of senior figures from the former Assad government by Syria’s transitional authorities, which began trials against members of the former regime this year.
Russia unlikely to extradite Assad
Bashar al-Assad fled Syria following his overthrow and was granted asylum in Russia, where he is now based.
Syria has repeatedly called on Moscow to extradite him, but Russia has so far refused. Analysts cited by Al Jazeera said Moscow was unlikely to change its position without a major political breakthrough between the two countries.
The sentencing has nevertheless been welcomed by crowds outside the Damascus court, with some holding photographs of victims of torture and killings during the war. The ruling is also being viewed by Syria’s transitional authorities as an important step towards accountability and transitional justice.
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