Syrian Judiciary Convicts Bashar al-Assad In Absentia to Death for War Crimes

The Syrian judiciary has sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad in absentia to death, accusing him of committing crimes amounting to "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity" following the outbreak of conflict in the country since 2011.

This ruling against Assad, who fled with his family and close associates to Moscow after being ousted in December 2024, is the first issued by transitional authorities this year, as they have begun conducting both in absentia and in-person trials of officials from the previous regime.

During the same session, the Syrian judiciary also sentenced former security official Atif Najib in person to death, accusing him of committing "crimes against humanity" while serving as head of the political security branch in Daraa province—the epicenter of the popular protests that erupted against the former regime in March 2011.

The public prosecutor requested convictions of defendant Atif Najib and other fugitive suspects mentioned in the case file—Bashar al-Assad, Maher al-Assad, and others—for crimes including murder, torture, arbitrary detention, and misuse of public funds, demanding the maximum penalty: death, emphasizing that the evidence in the case is cohesive and interconnected, according to the official Syrian news agency (SANA).

The court convicted Najib—a former colonel and cousin of the ousted president—of multiple offenses, including "intentional murder," "murder of children under 15 years of age," and "torture resulting in death." It stated that the acts attributed to him constitute "crimes against humanity" and ruled that the harshest penalty—death—must be carried out.

The first hearing for Atif Najib’s trial began on April 26 of this year, as part of a legal process aimed at uncovering the truth, providing justice to victims, and holding perpetrators accountable through proper judicial procedures.