DAMASCUS — A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia over crimes committed during the country’s nearly 14-year civil war, marking the first conviction against the former leader since his government was toppled in December 2024.
The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus convicted Assad of premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity, according to Reuters and a court session broadcast on Syrian state television. The court also sentenced former security official Atef Najib to death in the same proceedings.
Assad was not present for the proceedings. He fled Syria after rebels seized Damascus in December 2024 and has since been living in Russia, which granted him political asylum, according to reports. Syria’s new authorities have sought his return.
The court’s ruling concerns abuses during the crackdown on protests that began in 2011 and developed into a civil war involving multiple armed groups and foreign powers. The conflict killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.
Najib, a former brigadier general who headed the Political Security Branch in the southern province of Daraa in 2011, was accused of overseeing an early crackdown that helped fuel the uprising. He was present in court when the sentence was delivered, according to AP.
The ruling is part of Syria’s emerging transitional justice process following the end of Assad family rule. The status of the sentences and any prospect of enforcing them remained unclear because Assad is outside Syria.
