DAMASCUS, Syria (TNND) — Former Syrian President Bashar Assad and his younger brother were sentenced to death in absentia by a Syrian court on Tuesday for crimes against humanity and war crimes during Syria’s 14-year civil war that left around half a million people dead.
The rulings by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus mark the first sentences against Assad or members of his inner circle since his family’s five decades in power ended in December 2024.
“Bashar Assad used state agencies to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan said during a court session broadcast live on Syrian state television.
Assad’s maternal cousin, Atef Najib, was also sentenced to death. Najib, a former army brigadier general and security official, was convicted over his role in the 2011 crackdown in the southern province of Daraa that helped ignite the uprising against Assad and the civil war that followed.
Najib appeared in court wearing a prisoner’s uniform and standing inside a cage as the judge announced the sentence. Al-Aryan said Najib has the right to appeal.
388876 02: Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks at a press conference May 3, 2001 in Madrid, Spain. The Syrian president is on a three day official visit to Spain seeking a greater European role in Middle East peacemaking. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Newsmakers)
A crowd gathered outside the courthouse in central Damascus as the verdict was delivered under heavy security.
Today is the day of justice for all the wounded, martyrs, detainees and Syrians who were forced to leave their country,” attorney Adnan al-Masalmeh, who represented families of Najib’s victims, said.
He called the verdict “a victory of the Syrian people against the ousted regime.”
Bashar Assad and his brother Maher fled to Russia following the collapse of the government in December 2024 and were granted political asylum. Syria’s new leaders have called on Moscow to turn them over.
Najib, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2011, was later detained and became one of the highest-ranking former Syrian security officials to face trial. He headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa when anti-government demonstrations erupted there in 2011.
More than a dozen teenagers were arrested and tortured after writing anti-government graffiti on a school wall. Their treatment fueled mass protests against Assad’s government, which responded with a violent crackdown.
The unrest eventually developed into a civil war that killed about half a million people and ended when a rapid rebel offensive toppled Assad in late 2024.
Some of those detained as teenagers in Daraa attended Tuesday’s proceedings and spoke with The Associated Press.
DAMASCUS, SYRIA – DECEMBER 17: A ripped poster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad lies on the ground outside the Interior Ministry building on December 17, 2024 in Damascus, Syria. On December 8, rebel forces in Syria retook the capital and several other cities from longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, who fled the country for Moscow. The fall of the Assad regime marks a new chapter for Syria, which has been mired in a multi-party civil war since 2011, sparked by the Arab Spring uprisings. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
“Today we reached a point where the blood was not wasted,” Mouawiya Sayasneh said, referring to those killed during the crackdown. He said there was “happiness that Atef Najib was sentenced to death.”
Nayef Abazeid, who was 13 when he was detained in 2011, also welcomed the verdict, saying his “biggest happiness will be when Bashar Assad is executed.”
Maher Assad previously commanded Syria’s 4th Armored Division, a military unit opposition activists accused of killings, torture, extortion and drug trafficking, as well as operating its own detention facilities.
Human Rights Watch criticized the use of capital punishment while emphasizing the need for accountability for crimes committed under Assad.
“Today’s scenes outside the courthouse reflect 15 years of pain and a justice long denied,” Hiba Zayadin said, a Syria researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Human Rights Watch opposes the death penalty in all cases, including this one.”
Zayadin said Najib’s appeal must meet fair-trial standards and argued that lasting accountability for crimes committed during the Assad era will depend on Syria establishing a durable justice system.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.