A court in Damascus sentenced ousted Syrian president Bashar Assad and his brother Maher to death in absentia on Tuesday for premeditated murder, torture and crimes against humanity. The Associated Press reported that six other former officials also received death sentences in absentia, while Assad's cousin Atef Najib, the only senior defendant in custody, received the same penalty in court.
The judgments are the first against Assad or members of his closest circle since his family's five decades in power ended in December 2024. Bashar and Maher Assad fled to Russia and obtained asylum after the government collapsed, making enforcement of their sentences unlikely. The court proceedings were broadcast live on Syrian state television, unlike the secret trials associated with the former government.
Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan said state institutions had been used to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity. According to AP and El País, the court found the defendants responsible for deliberate killings, including of children, and torture committed before and during Syria's nearly 14-year conflict, which killed about half a million people and displaced millions.
Najib formerly headed political security in the southern province of Daraa. More than a dozen teenagers were arrested and tortured in 2011 after writing anti-government graffiti on a school wall, and the crackdown helped ignite nationwide protests that developed into civil war. Najib may appeal, the judge said, while the absent defendants remain beyond the court's immediate reach.
Victims and relatives gathered outside the heavily guarded courthouse and welcomed the rulings as overdue recognition of their suffering. Human Rights Watch researcher Hiba Zayadin nevertheless opposed the death penalty and said any appeal must meet fair-trial standards. The Syria Justice and Accountability Center called Najib's conviction a historic step but said its monitors documented rushed proceedings, weak links between some testimony and the charges, and an inadequate defense.
The verdict therefore carries major symbolic weight in Syria's transition while leaving practical accountability unresolved. Assad remains in Russia, and no reported arrangement would bring him before the Damascus court. Rights advocates say the durability of the process will depend on independent institutions, credible appeals and transparent cases that address former-government crimes without reproducing the arbitrary justice associated with Assad's rule.
Comments