A Syrian court has sentenced ousted President Bashar Al-Assad to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the country’s 14-year conflict, marking the first major judicial action against the former president since his family’s decades-long rule came to an end.
The verdict was delivered on Tuesday by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus in a case involving alleged killings, torture, arbitrary detention and other serious abuses committed during the crackdown on opponents of the Assad government.
Assad was not present in court. He fled Syria after his government collapsed in December 2024 following a rapid rebel offensive and is currently living in Russia.
His younger brother, Maher Al-Assad, was also sentenced to death in absentia. Maher, a former senior military commander who headed Syria’s elite Fourth Armoured Division, was closely associated with the regime’s security operations during the civil war.
Assad’s cousin, Atef Najib, a former head of Political Security in Daraa province, was also handed the death penalty. Najib was accused of overseeing the crackdown on protesters in Daraa in 2011, where the detention and torture of schoolchildren helped trigger demonstrations that eventually developed into the nationwide uprising.
The court said Bashar Al-Assad had used state institutions to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Syrian conflict that followed the 2011 uprising resulted in the deaths of around half a million people and displaced millions more.
The ruling represents a major moment in Syria’s efforts to pursue transitional justice following the collapse of the Assad government. Authorities have pledged to prosecute officials and security figures accused of serious abuses during the former regime.
However, carrying out the death sentences against Assad and his brother remains uncertain. Both men are in Russia, and Syria has sought the return of senior figures who fled the country after the fall of the regime.
The verdict also carries wider political significance. The Assad family ruled Syria for more than five decades, beginning with Bashar’s father, Hafez Al-Assad, who seized power in 1970. Bashar succeeded his father in 2000 and remained president until his overthrow in December 2024.
For many Syrians who suffered during the conflict, the court ruling represents an attempt to bring accountability for years of violence and repression. For Syria’s new leadership, it is also an important test of its promise to establish a system of justice after decades of authoritarian rule.
The proceedings are expected to form part of a broader transitional justice process in which former regime officials and security personnel face investigation and prosecution for alleged abuses committed during the civil war.
