Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his younger brother Maher have been sentenced to death in absentia by a court in Damascus over crimes linked to the country’s devastating 14-year conflict.
The ruling, delivered Tuesday by Syria’s Fourth Criminal Court, marks the first death sentences against members of the Assad family since their decades-long rule ended in December 2024. The court found Bashar al-Assad responsible for crimes including premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity.
Assad and Maher fled to Russia after opposition forces launched a rapid offensive that toppled the government and captured Damascus in December 2024. The brothers remain outside Syria, meaning the sentences cannot immediately be enforced. Syria’s new authorities have reportedly sought Russia’s cooperation in securing their return.
The court also sentenced Atef Najib, Assad’s maternal cousin and former head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa, to death. Najib was convicted over his role in the 2011 crackdown on protesters, including the detention and torture of teenagers accused of writing anti-government graffiti. The incident in Daraa helped ignite the uprising that eventually developed into Syria’s civil war.
The conflict that followed killed roughly half a million people and was marked by widespread allegations of killings, torture, arbitrary detention and other serious abuses. The verdict represents a major moment in Syria’s efforts to pursue accountability following the collapse of the Assad government.
