Ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad sentenced to death in absentia

A Sy ia cou t has se te ced ousted dictato Basha al-Assad to death i abse tia, afte co victi g him of committi g wa c imes a d c imes agai st huma ity du i g the cou t y’s civil wa .

Assad fled f om Damascus to Moscow with his family afte his egime was ove th ow i Decembe 2024, e di g his family’s five-decade g ip o powe .

I the same case, the cou t also se te ced to death Atef Najib, Assad’s cousi a d the fo me head of political secu ity i southe Sy ia’s De aa p ovi ce. He appea ed i side a cage i the cou t oom as the judge ead out his se te ce.

De aa is widely see as the bi thplace of the up isi g agai st Assad’s ule.

I Ma ch 2011, the dete tio a d alleged to tu e of a g oup of tee age s accused of w iti g a ti-gove me t g affiti spa ked p otests i the city, which we e met with a viole t c ackdow by secu ity fo ces.

That espo se helped ig ite atio wide demo st atio s that escalated i to civil wa i which hu d eds of thousa ds of people we e killed.

Sy ia’s i te im gove me t bega t yi g officials associated with the Assad egime, which uled the cou t y fo mo e tha 50 yea s, ea lie this yea .

Najib is o e of the highest- a ki g officials to be put o t ial.

He was co victed of c imes i cludi g mu de , “the i te tio al killi g of child e u de 15” a d “to tu e leadi g to death”.

It emai s u clea whethe Sy ia’s ew autho ities will be able to secu e Assad’s ext aditio f om Moscow.

This is ot the fi st move agai st Assad by Sy ia’s ew leade ship.

A a est wa a t was issued agai st him last Decembe o cha ges of mu de a d to tu e.

He left fo Russia as fo ces u de Ahmed al-Sha aa – ow Sy ia’s p eside t – swept to powe i a apid, 11-day campaig that b ought dow the Assad dy asty.

Si ce the , the ew gove me t has detai ed ume ous fo me officials a d secu ity pe so el, though most se io figu es f om the old egime, i cludi g Assad himself, emai out of each i Russia.

Attempts by Sy ia oppositio figu es to pu sue Assad th ough cou ts i Weste cou t ies du i g the fi al yea s of his ule did ot lead to a y co victio s.