A SYRIAN COURT has sentenced former ruler Bashar al-Assad to dying after a trial in absentia, convicting him of atrocities dedicated throughout the nation’s almost 14-year civil battle.
It’s the first such ruling beneath Syria’s transitional leaders who ousted Assad in December 2024, vowing to supply justice and accountability for crimes dedicated beneath his rule.
Assad fled to Moscow as Islamist-led forces closed in on Damascus after a lightning offensive.
At a courtroom in Damascus, Decide Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan convicted Assad of crimes together with “premeditated homicide, the intentional killing of multiple individual, the intentional killing of youngsters beneath 15 years… torture, torture resulting in dying, and deprivation of liberty on a number of events — categorised as crimes in opposition to humanity and battle crimes”.
“He’s due to this fact sentenced to dying,” the decide mentioned.
Riot police outdoors Palace of Justice throughout courtroom session that sentenced Assad to dying in absentia Alamy Inventory Photograph
Alamy Inventory Photograph
Syria in April started proceedings in opposition to Assad and different officers accused in individual and in absentia of atrocities throughout the nation’s civil battle, which erupted with brutal repression of pro-democracy protesters by the previous authorities.
Greater than half one million individuals had been subsequently killed and thousands and thousands displaced, whereas tens of hundreds disappeared, many into the nation’s jail system.
The courtroom additionally sentenced six former army and safety officers in absentia to dying, together with Assad’s brother Maher, who ran the military’s elite Fourth Division and likewise fled the nation.
‘Warmed our hearts’
These convicted included former defence minister Fahd al-Freij and Louay al-Ali, who headed army intelligence in Daraa province in 2011.
The courtroom convicted the officers of crimes together with homicide, incitement to homicide, torture resulting in dying and repeated deprivation of liberty, additionally thought-about “crimes in opposition to humanity” and “battle crimes”.
Former safety official Atif Najib – the one one within the dock – was sentenced to dying for “crimes in opposition to humanity” dedicated when he was head of political safety in Daraa province, the cradle of Syria’s 2011 rebellion.
Najib, a cousin of Assad who was arrested in January final yr, was convicted of crimes together with homicide, “the intentional killing of youngsters beneath 15″, and “torture resulting in dying”.
The acts attributed to him are “crimes in opposition to humanity”, the courtroom mentioned, because it handed down “the harshest punishment in opposition to him, which is the dying penalty”.
Aryan mentioned Najib had denied the costs and confirmed “no regret”.
Individuals rejoice after a Syrian courtroom sentenced whereas Assad to dying in absentia Alamy Inventory Photograph
Alamy Inventory Photograph
An AFP correspondent noticed dozens of individuals gathered on the courthouse for the ruling, many from Daraa province and a few holding footage of family members they mentioned had disappeared or had been imprisoned beneath these on trial.
Ramzi Abu Naboud was carrying an image of his brother Ahmed, who was killed when Assad’s authorities broke up a sit-in at Daraa’s Al-Omari mosque in 2011.
“Thank God and because of the judiciary, right this moment now we have obtained a judgement that has warmed our hearts,” even when it is not going to deliver again those that had been killed, he mentioned.
‘Years of ache’
Lawyer Amer Kazzaz mentioned these convicted had the appropriate to attraction “if there was an error within the utility of the legislation or if the courtroom has dedicated a gross skilled mistake”.
Hiba Zayadin from Human Rights Watch mentioned on X that “right this moment’s scenes mirror 15 years of ache”.
She mentioned the rights watchdog “opposes the dying penalty in all instances. It’s merciless and irreversible, particularly when a good trial isn’t assured”.
“Real accountability will depend on Syria constructing a justice system that lasts,” she added.
Syria’s nationwide fee for transitional justice known as the ruling in opposition to Najib “an essential milestone within the technique of accountability for grave crimes”.
Syria’s rebellion in opposition to Assad started in Daraa in March 2011, after 15 college students had been arrested for allegedly writing anti-government slogans on town’s partitions.
Residents mentioned the scholars had been tortured, resulting in a protest demanding their launch that led to bloodshed.
Safety personnel suppressed peaceable demonstrations with drive and fired stay ammunition to disperse sit-ins at a number of areas.
Najib was dismissed after the crackdown, because the protests unfold to different provinces.
The Assad household dominated Syria for greater than 5 a long time, with Bashar taking the presidency in 2000 after the dying of his father Hafez.
– © AFP 2026
