Damascus court sentences Bashar al-Assad, former officials to death
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Damascus Criminal Court on Tuesday sentenced former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and several senior figures from his former government to death after convicting them of crimes against humanity and other offenses.
The court issued in-person arrest warrants for Assad and other defendants who remain at large, according to breaking court announcements.
Assad was convicted of crimes against humanity and intentional homicide and sentenced to death.
The court also sentenced Maher al-Assad, Bashar al-Assad’s younger brother and former commander of the Syrian army’s elite Fourth Armored Division, and other figures from the former government to death.
Atef Najib, the former head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa and a maternal cousin of Bashar al-Assad, was also sentenced to death for crimes against humanity.
The court said all charges against Najib constituted crimes against humanity. He was accused of torturing detainees during his tenure as head of the security branch in Daraa.
The rulings mark a major judicial development in Syria’s efforts to prosecute senior figures of the former government following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
The court’s announcements did not immediately provide details on the specific evidence underpinning each conviction or whether the rulings are subject to appeal.
Assad fled Syria following the collapse of his government and has remained outside the country. His whereabouts have been reported as being in Russia, which granted him asylum.
The former Syrian government faced widespread accusations of arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearances and unlawful killings during the country’s 13-year conflict. International rights organizations have documented extensive violations attributed to government forces and affiliated militias.