A Syrian court has sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad and his younger brother, Maher al-Assad, to death in absentia over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country’s 14-year conflict.
The verdict was delivered on Tuesday by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, marking the first death sentences handed down against Assad or members of his inner circle since the collapse of the Assad family’s decades-long rule.
According to Shemariah Media, the proceedings were broadcast live on Syrian state television, with Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan saying Bashar Assad had used state institutions to carry out serious violations during the conflict.
“Bashar Assad used state agencies to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity,” the judge said while delivering the verdict.
Maher, who previously commanded Syria’s elite 4th Armored Division, was also convicted over alleged abuses committed during the government’s crackdown on opposition forces.
The division had been accused by Syrian opposition activists of involvement in killings, torture, extortion and other abuses, as well as operating detention facilities and engaging in illicit activities.
Also sentenced to death was Atef Najib, Assad’s maternal cousin and a former Syrian army brigadier general who headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa province in 2011.
Najib was convicted over his role in the security crackdown in Daraa, where protests against Assad’s government began before spreading across the country.
The case dates back to the early stages of the Syrian uprising, when several teenagers in Daraa were arrested and allegedly tortured after reportedly writing anti-government graffiti on a school wall.
The incident became one of the catalysts for mass demonstrations against Assad’s government and security forces. The government’s violent response subsequently contributed to the escalation of the uprising into a devastating civil war.
The conflict resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions of Syrians within the country and abroad.
Najib was present in court when the verdict was announced, while Bashar and Maher were tried in absentia.
The two brothers fled Syria in December 2024 after a rapid rebel offensive brought an end to the Assad government and the family’s more than five decades in power. Russia subsequently granted them political asylum.
Syria’s new authorities have repeatedly called on Moscow to hand the former president and his brother over to face justice.
The latest verdict comes as Syria’s new leadership seeks to address allegations of widespread abuses committed during the Assad era and pursue accountability against senior figures of the former regime.
However, the death sentences against Bashar and Maher cannot immediately be carried out because both men remain outside Syria.
The Syrian conflict began in 2011 with protests against Assad’s government as part of the wider Arab Spring uprisings. It later developed into a complex war involving government forces, opposition groups, extremist organisations and foreign military powers.
The war caused widespread destruction, while millions of Syrians were forced to flee their homes in one of the world’s largest displacement crises.
The fall of Assad in December 2024 ended the conflict’s central political chapter, but efforts to establish accountability for alleged atrocities committed during his rule have continued.
