A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced former President Bashar Assad and his brother Maher to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes, with the verdict delivered by Damascus's Fourth Criminal Court and broadcast live on Syrian state television.
Syrian court sentences Bashar Assad and brother to death in absentia
A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced former President Bashar Assad and his brother Maher to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes, with the verdict delivered by Damascus's Fourth Criminal Court and broadcast live on Syrian state television.
The sentences are the first handed down against Assad or members of his inner circle since the Assad family's five decades in power ended, according to NPR. Assad was ousted in December 2024 after rebel forces entered Damascus, and he and his family subsequently fled to Russia, where he was granted asylum.
The court convicted Assad of premeditated and intentional murder of more than one person and of children, torture, arbitrary arrest, and crimes against humanity. The presiding judge stated that Assad bore responsibility as the person 'ultimately responsible for decision-making, mobilizing state institutions to commit' the crimes, according to Deutsche Welle. NPR quoted judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan as saying Assad 'used state agencies to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity.'
Maher Assad and several other figures from the ousted government were also sentenced to death in absentia, convicted of premeditated murder and torture resulting in death, according to Deutsche Welle.
Also sentenced to death in the same case was Atef Najib, described by both sources as Assad's cousin. Deutsche Welle identifies him as a maternal cousin, while NPR describes him as a maternal cousin who oversaw a crackdown in Daraa that contributed to the uprising and subsequent civil war. Deutsche Welle notes he is a former Syrian army brigadier general who headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa when the uprising began in 2011 and was arrested while attempting to flee the country in January 2025. Unlike the others, Najib was sentenced in person, appearing in court in a prison uniform inside a cage.
Assad became president in 2000 following the death of his father, Hafez Assad, according to Deutsche Welle. Syria's new authorities have been pursuing former officials over alleged crimes committed during the country's civil war, and the Syrian government has demanded that Moscow extradite Assad, according to Deutsche Welle. According to NPR, the conflict left approximately half a million people dead.
Where sources differ
- NPR describes the sentences as 'the first against Assad or members of his inner circle since the Assad family's five decades in power came to an end 20 months ago,' implying a specific timeframe since Assad's fall, while Deutsche Welle does not specify the number of months elapsed.
- NPR describes Atef Najib as Assad's 'maternal cousin,' while Deutsche Welle describes him only as Assad's 'cousin' without specifying the maternal line in that characterisation, though it does note he headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa.
- Neither source reports any response from Bashar Assad, his representatives, or Russian authorities to the verdict.
- Neither source clarifies what legal mechanism or timeline, if any, exists for enforcing the death sentences given that Assad remains in Russia under asylum.
- The identities and details of the other unnamed former regime figures also sentenced to death in absentia are not established by either source.
- Neither source reports whether Atef Najib or his legal counsel offered any statement or plea in response to the verdict.
- The likelihood or conditions under which Russia might extradite Assad are not addressed by either source.
- Deutsche Welle — original — by Richard Connor
- NPR News
Read the original at Deutsche Welle