DAMASCUS, Syria, Aug 11 – A Syrian criminal court on Tuesday sentenced former President Bashar Assad and his younger brother, Maher Assad, to death in absentia over crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Syria’s 14-year conflict, a landmark judgment against the family that ruled the country for decades.
The ruling marks the first death sentences handed down against Bashar Assad or members of his inner circle since the Assad family’s nearly five-decade grip on power ended with the collapse of his government in December 2024. The conflict that began in 2011 killed roughly half a million people and displaced millions more, leaving much of Syria devastated.
The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus announced the verdict during a session broadcast live on Syrian state television. Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan said Bashar Assad had used government institutions and state agencies as instruments for carrying out acts that amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Assad was not present in court. He and Maher Assad fled Syria after opposition forces swept through the country in a rapid offensive that brought down the government in December 2024. The brothers later received political asylum in Russia. Syria’s new authorities have repeatedly called on Moscow to return the former president and his brother so they can face proceedings in Syria.
Court Targets Assad-Era Officials
The court also sentenced Atef Najib, Assad’s maternal cousin and a former Syrian army brigadier general, to death in the same case. Najib was among the most senior Assad-era officials to face trial following the collapse of the former government.
Najib previously headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa province in southern Syria. His role there in 2011 became closely associated with the government’s response to the first demonstrations against Assad’s rule.
According to accounts surrounding the case, more than a dozen teenagers in Daraa were detained after writing anti-government messages on a school wall. The youths were reportedly tortured while in custody. Their arrests and treatment became one of the events that helped ignite demonstrations in Daraa, which quickly spread to other parts of Syria.
The government’s response to the protests was severe. Security forces moved to suppress demonstrations, and the escalating violence eventually developed into a nationwide armed conflict. What began as calls for political reform evolved into a prolonged civil war involving government troops, armed opposition groups, extremist organizations and foreign powers.
Najib was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in April 2011 as Washington moved to punish Syrian officials accused of participating in the crackdown on protesters. He was later detained by Syria’s new authorities and became one of the highest-ranking former government figures to be brought before a Syrian court.
The presence of Najib inside the courtroom gave the proceedings a different character from the case against the Assad brothers. While Bashar and Maher Assad remain outside Syria, Najib appeared in court under heavy security. He was dressed in a prison uniform and stood inside a cage as the judge read the sentence.
Outside the courthouse in central Damascus, a crowd gathered to hear the verdict. The proceedings represented a significant moment for Syrians who had spent years demanding accountability for killings, torture, disappearances and other abuses attributed to the former government.
The judgment against Bashar Assad comes nearly two years after his government collapsed. His removal brought an abrupt end to a political system that had dominated Syria since his father, Hafez Assad, took power in 1970. Bashar Assad succeeded his father in 2000 and remained president until rebel forces captured Damascus in December 2024.
The former president’s government faced repeated accusations from Syrian opposition groups and international investigators over attacks on civilians, mass detention, torture and other abuses during the war. Maher Assad, who commanded the Syrian military’s elite 4th Armored Division, was also accused by opposition activists of involvement in killings, torture and extortion.
The 4th Armored Division was regarded as one of the most powerful formations in the former Syrian military. Opposition activists had also accused the division of operating detention facilities and becoming involved in illicit economic activities, including drug trafficking.
The new court proceedings are part of a broader effort by Syria’s post-Assad authorities to address crimes committed during the previous government’s rule. For families of those killed or detained during the conflict, the prosecution of senior officials represents an attempt to establish responsibility at the highest levels of the former state.
The death sentences, however, also highlight the difficulty of pursuing accountability when some of the most senior defendants remain outside Syria. Bashar and Maher Assad’s presence in Russia means that any attempt to enforce the sentences would depend heavily on Moscow’s willingness to surrender them.
For now, the court’s ruling establishes a formal judgment against the former president and his brother even though neither was present to hear it. The verdict also places Atef Najib among the most senior Assad-era figures to face direct judicial consequences inside Syria.
The case is likely to remain closely watched as Syria’s new authorities attempt to dismantle the legacy of the Assad government and establish a legal process for dealing with alleged abuses committed during the country’s long conflict. For a nation still dealing with the consequences of years of war, Tuesday’s ruling represents an important step in that effort, while questions over enforcement and the fate of Assad and his brother remain unresolved.