Syrian Court Sentences Bashar al-Assad to Death
Damascus tribunal convicts the ousted president in absentia for war crimes, marking Syria's first major post-Assad accountability verdict
Synopsis
In the absence of the leaders, a Syrian court has sentenced ousted president Bashar al-Assad to death for war crimes and crimes against humanity during Syria's 14-year civil conflict, alongside his brother Maher and cousin Atef Najib. The decision is the first on this point under the transitional authorities of the country.
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Former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was found guilty Tuesday by a court in his own country of “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity” in the 14-year-long conflict in the Middle Eastern nation, in which some half a million people have died.
The decision against Assad is the first for the transitional authorities which this year have begun to prosecute both in absentia and in person those alleged to be responsible for the regime.
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Assad's cousin, Atef Najib, also was sentenced to death in the same case because he was responsible for the crackdown in the south in the province of Daraa, triggering the uprising and civil war in 2011. Najib is a former brigadier general of the Syrian army, and in 2011, he led the Political Security Branch in southern Daraa province.
Assad's younger brother Maher, who was previously commander of the 4th Armored Division of the Syrian military and is allegedly responsible for killings, torture and extortion and also accused of drug trafficking by opposition activists, was also sentenced to death in absentee.
The Damascus Courtroom is located inside the Damascus Court
The Damascus Fourth Criminal Court convicted al-Assad of murdering civilians, including children, torturing and unlawfully detaining them. Witnesses confirmed to the judge al-Assad was the final decision maker in the crimes and that he used the tools of the Syrian state to do so.
Standing inside a defendants' cage in a prisoner's uniform amid tight security, Najib, unlike his relatives, appeared during the trial before the judge who read the sentence, while a crowd sat outside the courthouse in central Damascus.
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The verdict had a personal significance for families of the disappeared. Abazeid, who was arrested at age 13 in 2011, told RT he was pleased with the verdict, and that "our greatest joy will be when Bashar Assad is executed.
Human Rights Groups Caution
But not all reactions were happy. Hiba Zayadin, Human Rights Watch's Syria researcher, stated: "The scenes outside the courthouse today are 15 years of suffering and 15 years of a lack of justice. Human Rights Watch is opposed to the death penalty, period.
She also said that Najib has the right to appeal and this "should be done in accordance with good standards of a fair trial.
Enforcement Remains Uncertain
In December 2024, Assad and his brother went to Russia to seek political asylum after the government fell. Russia has yet to respond to Syria's new rulers' request to hand over the Assads. But the decision is regarded as a symbolic milestone for analysts.
Caroline Rose, Senior Director of the Soufan Center, told Euronews, "The ruling we saw today on the al-Assad brothers and their cousin Atef Najib is a new chapter in the movement towards accountability in Syria after the regime.
Why This Matter concerns
While the actual impact of the decision is likely to be less significant than it sounds, because the wanted are hiding in Russia, which does not have an extradition agreement with Damascus, the judgment is Syria's most important domestic measure of accountability since Assad's departure nearly two years ago.
It, however, also puts a legal and moral burden on Moscow's actions when it comes to other former regime officials and raises pressure on the Kremlin-era man's stay in Russia.
