A court in Syria has sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity, marking the first verdict against the ousted leader following his fall from power in December 2024. The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus delivered the ruling on Tuesday after a trial that opened in April, broadcasting the proceedings live on Syrian state television.
Assad, who fled to Moscow following an offensive led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militia, remains in Russia, which has not yet complied with Damascus’s extradition requests, as noted by Deutsche Welle. The verdict targets not only the former head of state but also key members of his inner circle, setting a legal tone for the transitional administration led by interim President Ahmed al-Scharaa, the former HTS leader.
During the civil war that spanned from 2011 to 2024, more than half a million people were killed across the country. The transitional government launched these prosecutions to address abuses committed by the former security and government apparatus.
Verdicts Issued Against Inner Circle and Security Figures
Alongside the former president, the court sentenced several members of the former government to death in absentia, including Bashar al-Assad’s younger brother, Mahir al-Assad. According to Deutsche Welle, the court convicted Mahir al-Assad and other representatives of the ousted government of intentional and premeditated murder and torture resulting in death.
Separate judicial action targeted Atef Najib, a cousin of the former president and former head of security in the province of Daraa. Najib was convicted of crimes against humanity, including systematic mass murder, the intentional killing of children under the age of 15, and torture resulting in death. Najib was captured in January 2025 in the coastal city of Latakia, making him one of the few key figures from the former regime apprehended inside Syria.
The 2011 uprising began in Daraa after security forces detained and tortured local teenagers who had painted anti-government graffiti on school walls. That crackdown ignited mass protests against the repressive actions of Assad’s security forces.
Public Reaction and Regional Implications
Crowds gathered outside the Palace of Justice in Damascus and in Daraa to witness the live broadcasts of the verdict, erupting into celebrations and holding up photographs of victims whose deaths were attributed to Najib, according to eyewitness accounts cited by Deutsche Welle.
Russia has offered refuge to Bashar al-Assad and members of his family, and President Vladimir Putin’s administration has not yet extradited the former president to Syrian authorities.
The transitional government in Damascus has indicated that it wants to hold those responsible from Assad’s security and government apparatus accountable.