Syrian Court Sentences Bashar al-Assad to Death in Absentia for War Crimes

A Syrian court has sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia after convicting him of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country's civil war.

This is the first criminal conviction against Assad, who fled to Moscow with his family after his government was toppled in December 2024, ending more than five decades of his family's authoritarian rule.

Also sentenced to death was Atef Najib, Assad's cousin and former head of political security in Deraa province — the birthplace of the 2011 uprising. Unlike Assad, Najib appeared in court wearing a striped prison uniform.

Rights groups described the verdict as the first step on a long road toward justice for Assad's victims.