Bashar al-Assad sentenced to death in absentia in Syria

A court in Damascus has sentenced former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia. He was found guilty of premeditated murder, torture, and crimes against humanity committed during the country's long-running war.

The verdict was delivered by the Fourth Criminal Court of Damascus on August 11. Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said that witness testimony confirmed al-Assad's role as the supreme decision-maker, and that state institutions were used to commit the crimes.

The death penalty in absentia was also handed down to the former president's brother, Maher al-Assad, who commanded the elite 4th Armored Division of the Syrian army. Former head of political security in Deraa province, Atef Najib, was also sentenced to capital punishment. He, unlike the al-Assad brothers, was present in court.

Bashar al-Assad lost power in December 2024 and fled to Russia, where he was granted asylum. Syrian authorities have repeatedly demanded his extradition from Moscow, but Russia has so far refused to extradite the former president.

This is the first such verdict against al-Assad and members of his inner circle since the change of power in Syria. Trials of former senior officials have become part of the transitional justice policy that the country's new authorities began after the fall of the previous regime.

Sources: Al Jazeera, The Wall Street Journal, Al-Monitor