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

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

A Syrian court has sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad and his younger brother, Maher, to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The verdict, delivered Tuesday, August 11, 2026, by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, marks the first conviction against the former leader since his family's five decades of power ended 20 months ago.

Bashar al-Assad and Maher al-Assad fled to Moscow in December 2024 after a lightning rebel offensive led by Ahmed al-Sharaa toppled the regime in 11 days. While the two men received political asylum in Russia, Syrian authorities have requested their extradition. Russian officials have previously declined these requests.

During a session aired live on state television, Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan stated:

"Bashar al-Assad used state agencies to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity."

Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan, via TimesLive

The court found the former president guilty of arbitrary detention and the "premeditated and intentional murder of more than one person and of children," alongside charges of torture. Judge Al-Aryan identified Assad as "the highest decision-maker" in these crimes. Maher al-Assad, a former commander of the 4th Armoured Division, was also sentenced to death for torture leading to death and premeditated murder. Opposition activists have previously accused Maher's division of drug trafficking, extortion, torture, and the operation of independent detention centers.

The court also sentenced Atef Najib, a maternal cousin of Assad and former head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa province, to death. Najib, a former army brigadier-general who was sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury in April 2011, was convicted of murder and torture. He was held in a cage while wearing a prisoner's uniform during the proceedings.

Najib's convictions stem from a 2011 crackdown in Daraa, where more than a dozen teenagers were arrested and tortured for scrawling anti-government graffiti on a school wall. This incident served as a catalyst for the mass protests that spiraled into a 14-year civil war.

The human cost of the conflict has been vast. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports almost 657,000 deaths from the start of the war to March 2025. Other human rights groups estimate between 350,000 and 580,000 deaths between 2011 and 2021. The UN Refugee Agency reported that more than 12 million people were displaced, including 5.6 million who fled the country and 6.9 million internally displaced.

The regime was accused of using beheadings, rape, and a network of underground prisons, as well as chemical weapons including mustard gas, chlorine, and sarin. One cited example was the 2013 gas attack on Ghouta.

Bashar al-Assad, born in 1965, assumed the presidency in 2000 following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad. An ophthalmologist trained in London, he was not the original heir to the presidency until his brother, Basil, died in a car crash. Although he initially presented himself as a reformer, his rule was characterized by the dominance of the Shia Alawite sect in a majority Sunni Muslim nation and close ties to Iran.

While the government presents these trials as essential for transitional justice, the post-Assad era has seen continued volatility. In March 2025, retaliatory killings left about 1,500 mostly Alawite civilians dead after militants loyal to Assad attacked security forces. In July 2025, sectarian killings in the Druze-majority province of Suweida killed more than 1,700 people. Violence has persisted in northern Syria, specifically targeting Alawite civilians.

The death sentences have drawn mixed reactions. Attorney Adnan al-Masalmeh, representing victims' families, called the verdict a victory of right against injustice. However, Human Rights Watch expressed opposition to the death penalty, describing it as cruel and irreversible.

Atef Najib maintains the right to appeal his sentence. Syrian authorities continue to establish committees and arrest former officials in an attempt to end intercommunal violence.