Bashar al-Assad sentenced to death in absentia

A Syrian court sentenced former ruler Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia on Tuesday after convicting him of crimes against humanity and war crimes over atrocities during Syria's nearly 14-year civil war.

At a court in Damascus, Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan convicted Assad of crimes including premeditated murder, intentional killing of more than one person, intentional killing of children under 15, torture, torture leading to death and repeated deprivation of liberty.

“He is therefore sentenced to death,” the judge said.

The ruling is the first of its kind under Syria's transitional leaders, who ousted Assad in December 2024 and have pledged justice and accountability for crimes committed under his rule. Assad fled to Moscow as Islamist-led forces closed in on Damascus.

The court also sentenced six former military and security officials in absentia to death, including Assad's brother Maher, who ran the army's elite Fourth Division, former defence minister Fahd al-Freij and Louay al-Ali, who headed military intelligence in Daraa province in 2011.

Former security official Atif Najib, Assad's cousin and the only defendant in the dock, was also sentenced to death for crimes against humanity committed when he was head of political security in Daraa province. Aryan said Najib denied the charges and showed “no remorse”.

Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais told state television that the rulings would be referred to Syria's court of cassation for a final decision. He said defendants had the right to appeal within 30 days.

Syria began proceedings in April against Assad and other officials accused of atrocities during the civil war. In trial sessions held since late April, the court heard witnesses and reviewed documents, images and at times classified information.

Dozens of people gathered at the courthouse for the ruling, many from Daraa province and some holding pictures of loved ones they said had disappeared or been imprisoned under those on trial.

Ramzi Abu Naboud, whose brother Ahmed was killed when Assad's authorities broke up a sit-in at Daraa's Al-Omari mosque in 2011, said the judgment had “warmed our hearts,” even though it would not bring back those killed.

A spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres said “addressing long-standing demands for justice, accountability, and truth” could help restore confidence in institutions and support sustainable peace. Farhan Haq also noted the UN General Assembly's opposition to the death penalty and urged Syrian authorities to pursue accountability through a victim-centred transitional justice process.

Human Rights Watch, which attended several of Najib's hearings and opposes capital punishment, called Najib's case and the other proceedings “a test of Syrian authorities' efforts to pursue credible justice for Assad-era abuses”. Syria's national commission for transitional justice called the ruling against Najib “an important milestone in the process of accountability”.

Nanar Hawach, a Syria analyst at the International Crisis Group, said real transitional justice should be “wider” because “many Syrians want accountability to cover every armed faction of the war, and these sentences cover one”.

He also said justice should go “deeper”, saying families need the truth about missing people, graves and who gave orders, which made convicted men worth more to justice alive than executed.

More than half a million people were killed and millions displaced during Syria's civil war, while tens of thousands disappeared, many into the country's prison system.

Syria's uprising against Assad began in Daraa in March 2011 after 15 students were arrested for allegedly writing anti-government slogans on city walls. Residents said the students were tortured, leading to a protest demanding their release that ended in bloodshed. Security personnel suppressed peaceful demonstrations with force and fired live ammunition to disperse sit-ins at several locations.

The Assad family ruled Syria for more than five decades. Bashar al-Assad became president in 2000 after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad.