A Syrian court has sentenced ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country's civil war. The sentences were handed down along with six other former military and security officials, including Assad's younger brother Maher and former defense minister Fahd al-Freij. Bashar al-Assad fled Syria with his family in 2024 after being overthrown, and it remains unclear whether he can be extradited from Moscow. The trial is part of a series of prosecutions by Syria's new interim government against officials associated with the Assad regime.
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Bashar al-Assad, the ousted Syrian dictator who fled to Moscow with his family after being overthrown in December 2024, has been sentenced to death in absentia by a Syrian court. He was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country's civil war, including the intentional killing of children under 15 and torture leading to death. Six former military and security officials, including Assad's younger brother Maher, were also sentenced to death in absentia. The sentencing is a significant development in the aftermath of the Assad regime's overthrow, which began with protests in Deraa in March 2011 after the detention and alleged torture of teenagers accused of writing anti-government graffiti.
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- Published
A Syrian court has sentenced ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, after convicting him of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country's civil war.
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court → publish → war
It is the first conviction against Assad, who fled from Damascus to Moscow with his family after his regime was overthrown in December 2024, ending his family's five-decade grip on power.
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regime → flee → power
Assad's cousin and the former head of political security in southern Syria's Deraa province, Atef Najib, was also sentenced to death.
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cousin → sentence → death
He had been put on trial and appeared wearing a striped prison uniform inside a cage in the courtroom as the judge read out his sentence.
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judge → put → sentence
Deraa is widely seen as the birthplace of the uprising against Assad's rule.
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Deraa → see → rule
In March 2011, the detention and alleged torture of a group of teenagers accused of writing anti-government graffiti sparked protests in the city, which were met with a violent crackdown by security forces.
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which → allege → forces
That response helped ignite nationwide demonstrations that escalated into civil war in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed.
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thousands → ignite → people
Syria's interim government began trying officials associated with the Assad regime, which ruled the country for more than 50 years, earlier this year.
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which → begin → years
Najib is one of the highest-ranking officials to be put on trial.
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Najib → rank → trial
He was convicted of crimes including murder, "the intentional killing of children under 15" and "torture leading to death".
The court also sentenced six former military and security officials in absentia to death, including Bashar al-Assad's younger brother, Maher.
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court → convict → brother
He ran the army's elite Fourth Division and also fled to Moscow when the regime fell.
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regime → run → Moscow
The others convicted include former defence minister Fahd al-Freij.
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others → convict → Freij
Nouha al-Masri has spent 15 years waiting for this moment.
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Masri → spend → moment
Masri lost her brother during the March 2011 crackdown and massacre at Al-Omari Square in Deraa.
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Masri → lose → Deraa
"The verdict reflects the magnitude of the sacrifices we made, the sacrifices of the martyrs, the suffering and pain of the victims, the missing, and the detainees," she told the BBC.
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she → reflect → BBC
"We have been waiting for 15 years to reclaim even a small part of our rights, for all those who have spilled our blood, committed crimes, violated our rights, killed, and tortured us.
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who → wait → us
It remains unclear whether Syria's new authorities will be able to secure Bashar and Maher al-Assad's extraditions from Moscow.
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authorities → remain → Moscow
An arrest warrant was issued against him last December on charges of murder and torture.
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warrant → issue → murder
He left for Russia as forces under Ahmed al-Sharaa - now Syria's president - swept to power in a rapid, 11-day campaign that brought down the Assad dynasty.
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that → leave → dynasty
Since then, the new government has detained numerous former officials and security personnel, though most senior figures from the old regime, including Assad himself, remain out of reach in Russia.
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figures → detain → Russia
Attempts by Syrian opposition figures to pursue Assad through courts in Western countries during the final years of his rule did not lead to any convictions.
Assad came to power in 2000 after the death of his father.
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Assad → pursue → father
The second son of Hafez al-Assad, he was not destined to be Syria's ruler until his brother, Basil, died in a car crash in 1994.
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brother → destine → 1994
Part of the Alawite minority, he continued to favour their dominance in many roles in the military, security and intelligence agencies.
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he → continue → agencies
Much of his rule was defined by the civil war.
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Much → define → war
