Syria Sentences Ousted Leader Bashar al-Assad to Death Over Killings and Torture

DAMASCUS, Aug. 11: A Syrian court sentenced ousted leader Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia on Tuesday after finding him guilty of crimes including killings, torture and arbitrary detention during the country's nearly 14-year war.

It was the first conviction against Assad in Syria since he was ousted in a rebel offensive in December 2024, ending decades of rule by his family.

Syrians gathered outside the court in Damascus after the verdict was announced, chanting, clapping and waving Syrian flags.

Assad fled Damascus as rebel fighters advanced on the capital and is now living in Russia, where he and his family were granted asylum on humanitarian grounds.

Former Security Officials Tried

The judge sentenced Assad to death for what the court described as the premeditated and intentional killing of multiple people, including children, as well as torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity.

The same sentence was issued in absentia to Assad's brother Maher, who headed the powerful Fourth Armoured Division. The unit was heavily involved in suppressing protests and military operations during the conflict.

Former security official Atef Najib was also sentenced to death. Najib served in the southern province of Deraa, where protests against Assad's government began in 2011.

Najib, a relative of the Assad family, was arrested by Syrian security forces in early 2025 and was the only defendant tried in person.

Syrians Celebrate Verdict

Crowds also gathered in Deraa to celebrate the verdict, carrying photographs of people who were arrested or killed during the war.

Among the photographs was one of Hamza al-Khatib, a 13-year-old boy whom activists said was arrested by Syrian security forces, tortured and killed.

Prosecutor Noha al-Masri, who attended Tuesday's sentencing, said she had lost her own brother during a crackdown on a protest in Deraa in 2011.

The ruling marked a significant judicial development in Syria's efforts to address crimes committed during the country's long civil war.