A Damascus court has handed down death sentences against former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and Atef Najib following convictions related to the nation’s prolonged conflict. The Criminal Court found Bashar al-Assad guilty of premeditated murder, torture, and crimes against humanity. Both Bashar and Maher al-Assad, who currently reside in Russia after the former president’s December 2024 ouster, received their sentences in absentia.
Atef Najib, the former head of political security in Deraa province, faced trial in person and was convicted of crimes against humanity, including murder, intentional killing of children under age 15, and torture resulting in death. Najib’s actions in 2011, when he led a violent crackdown against protesters in Deraa, are considered a catalyst for the broader Syrian uprising and subsequent civil war that lasted nearly 14 years.
The verdicts represent the transitional government’s first major prosecutions of former regime officials since taking control this year. Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan stated that witness testimony demonstrated al-Assad’s role as the highest decision-maker in perpetrating these crimes and his use of state institutions to carry them out. Observers suggest the rulings provide a significant step toward accountability for Syrian citizens and may establish important legal precedents for future cases against others accused of abuses under al-Assad’s rule.
Originally reported by Aljazeera →
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