OnlyKashmir.in News Desk
A criminal court in Damascus has sentenced former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia over atrocities committed during the country’s 14-year civil war, in a landmark ruling under Syria’s transitional authorities.
The verdict marks the first death sentence handed down against Assad since his government was overthrown in December 2024, ending his family’s decades-long rule over Syria. Assad fled the country following the collapse of his regime and was not present in court for the proceedings.
The Damascus court convicted Assad of crimes including premeditated murder, the intentional killing of more than one person and repeated deprivation of liberty. The proceedings form part of the transitional authorities’ stated efforts to pursue accountability for alleged abuses committed during the conflict.
The ruling also involved several senior figures from Assad’s former military and security establishment. His younger brother, Maher al-Assad, who commanded the elite Fourth Division of the Syrian Army, was also sentenced to death in absentia.
Assad’s cousin Atef Najib, the former head of political security in Daraa province, was among those sentenced as well. Najib was present in court during the proceedings. He has been associated with the crackdown in Daraa in 2011, where the early protests against Assad’s government helped trigger the wider uprising that developed into the Syrian civil war.
The court’s decision represents a major development in Syria’s attempts to address crimes allegedly committed during the conflict. The civil war, which began in 2011, resulted in enormous loss of life, mass displacement and widespread destruction across the country.
The sentencing also carries significant political and legal implications because Assad remains outside Syria. His absence means that the death sentence cannot be immediately carried out unless he is brought back under the jurisdiction of the Syrian authorities.
The transitional government has repeatedly stressed the need for accountability for crimes committed under the former regime. The latest verdict therefore represents an important test of those commitments and could influence future proceedings against other former officials and security personnel.
The case is also likely to remain closely watched internationally, particularly because of questions surrounding accountability, judicial procedures and the possibility of bringing former regime figures who remain outside Syria before Syrian courts.
With Assad and other senior former regime figures now facing the harshest possible sentences, the Damascus ruling marks a significant chapter in Syria’s post-Assad transition and its effort to address the legacy of years of conflict.
