Sy ia
Ex-p eside t
Basha
Assad
(2019
photo)
A
Sy ia
c imi al
cou t
i
Damascus
has
se te ced
ousted
p eside t
Basha
al-Assad
to
death
i
abse tia
afte
fi di g
him
guilty
of
killi gs,
to tu e,
a bit a y
a ests
a d
c imes
agai st
huma ity
committed
du i g
the
cou t y’s
ea ly
14-yea
civil
wa .
The
ve dict,
delive ed
o
Tuesday,
August
11,
ma ks
the
fi st
co victio
agai st
Assad
by
Sy ia’s
t a sitio al
autho ities
si ce
his
egime
collapsed
i
Decembe
2024.
But
while
the
cou t
has
p o ou ced
a
death
se te ce,
the
fo me
Sy ia
ule
emai s
fa
beyo d
the
each
of
the
autho ities
who
ow
co t ol
Damascus.Assad
is
cu e tly
i
Russia,
whe e
he
a d
his
family
we e
g a ted
asylum
afte
fleei g
Sy ia
whe
ebel
fo ces
captu ed
Damascus
i
Decembe
2024.
His
p ecise
locatio
i side
Russia
has
ot
bee
publicly
co fi med.
Howeve ,
epo ti g
ove
the
past
yea
has
placed
the
fo me
dictato
i
Moscow,
with
sou ces
p eviously
i dicati g
that
his
family
was
likely
livi g
i
the
heavily
gua ded
Rublyovka
a ea,
a
afflue t
dist ict
o
the
weste
outski ts
of
the
Russia
capital.The
death
se te ce
the efo e
aises
a
ce t al
questio :
whe e
is
Basha
al-Assad
ow,
a d
ca
Sy ia
eve
b i g
him
back
to
face
the
pu ishme t
ha ded
dow
by
its
cou t?
Assad
emai s
i
Russia
afte
fleei g
Sy ia
The
most
ece t
c edible
epo ts
co ti ue
to
place
Assad
i
Moscow.
Reute s
epo ted
afte
Tuesday’s
ve dict
that
Assad
“is
cu e tly
i
Russia”,
whe e
he
a d
his
family
eceived
asylum
o
huma ita ia
g ou ds.
His
b othe
Mahe
al-Assad,
who
also
eceived
a
death
se te ce
i
abse tia,
is
likewise
believed
to
be
i
Russia.Assad’s
escape
f om
Sy ia
came
o
Decembe
8,
2024,
whe
ebel
fo ces
led
by
Ahmed
al-Sha aa
swept
i to
Damascus
afte
a
light i g
offe sive
that
lasted
less
tha
two
weeks.
The
adva ce
b ought
dow
the
Assad
gove me t
a d
e ded
mo e
tha
five
decades
of
ule
by
the
Assad
family.At
the
time,
Assad’s
whe eabouts
we e
i itially
u k ow .
Russia’s
fo eig
mi ist y
said
he
had
esig ed
a d
left
Sy ia,
while
epo ts
suggested
he
had
t avelled
f om
the
coastal
egio
befo e
bei g
flow
to
Russia.
Russia
state
media
subseque tly
epo ted
that
Assad
a d
his
family
had
a ived
i
Moscow
a d
had
bee
g a ted
asylum.I
a
stateme t
issued
afte
his
escape,
Assad
disputed
accou ts
that
he
had
pla ed
his
depa tu e
i
adva ce.
He
said
he
had
emai ed
i
Damascus
u til
the
fi al
hou s
a d
late
moved
to
a
Russia
milita y
base
i
Latakia
as
the
secu ity
situatio
dete io ated.”Fi st,
my
depa tu e
f om
Sy ia
was
eithe
pla ed
o
did
it
occu
du i g
the
fi al
hou s
of
the
battles,
as
some
have
claimed,”
Assad
said
i
the
stateme t.”O
the
co t a y,
I
emai ed
i
Damascus,
ca yi g
out
my
duties
u til
the
ea ly
hou s
of
Su day,
Decembe
8,
2024,”
he
added.Acco di g
to
Assad’s
accou t,
he
t avelled
to
the
Russia
Khmeimim
ai base
i
Latakia
afte
oppositio
fo ces
e te ed
Damascus
a d
i te ded
to
co ti ue
ove seei g
milita y
ope atio s.
He
said
the
situatio
at
the
base
the
became
u te able
a d
Moscow
asked
its
comma d
to
a a ge
his
evacuatio .”With
o
viable
mea s
of
leavi g
the
base,
Moscow
equested
that
the
base’s
comma d
a a ge
a
immediate
evacuatio
to
Russia
o
the
eve i g
of
Su day
8
Decembe ,”
the
stateme t
said.I depe de t
epo ti g
has
also
desc ibed
Assad’s
depa tu e
as
a
Russia -assisted
evacuatio .
The
Gua dia
epo ted
i
Decembe
2025
that
Assad
a d
his
so s
we e
take
u de
Russia
milita y
esco t
to
Khmeimim
befo e
bei g
flow
out
of
Sy ia.
Whe e
exactly
i
Moscow
is
Assad
livi g?
This
is
whe e
the
t ail
becomes
less
ce tai .
The e
is
o
publicly
ve ified
add ess
fo
Assad
i
Moscow,
a d
he
has
a ely,
if
eve ,
bee
see
publicly
si ce
a ivi g
i
Russia.
A
detailed
Gua dia
i vestigatio
published
i
Decembe
2025,
based
o
sou ces
i
Russia
a d
Sy ia,
a
family
f ie d
a d
leaked
data,
epo ted
that
the
Assad
family
was
likely
livi g
i
Rublyovka,
a
p estigious
gated
a ea
associated
with
Russia’s
political
a d
busi ess
elite.
Basha
Assad,
left,
a d
Russia
P eside t
Vladimi
Puti
shake
ha ds
du i g
thei
meeti g
i
Moscow,
Russia.
The
epo t
desc ibed
the
family’s
life
i
Moscow
as
secluded
a d
closely
co t olled.
A
family
f ie d
said
Assad
had
little
co tact
with
the
outside
wo ld
a d
emai ed
i
touch
with
o ly
a
small
umbe
of
people
who
had
se ved
a ou d
his
p eside tial
palace.”It’s
a
ve y
quiet
life,”
said
the
family
f ie d.
“He
has
ve y
little,
if
a y,
co tact
with
the
outside
wo ld.
He’s
o ly
i
touch
with
a
couple
of
people
who
we e
i
his
palace,
like
Ma sou
Azzam
[fo me
Sy ia
mi iste
of
p eside cy
affai s]
a d
Yassa
Ib ahim
[Assad’s
top
eco omic
c o y].”The
same
i vestigatio
said
Assad
was
studyi g
Russia
a d
evisiti g
his
t ai i g
i
ophthalmology.
Befo e
e te i g
politics,
Assad
had
t ai ed
as
a
ophthalmologist
i
Lo do
a d
had
o igi ally
i te ded
to
pu sue
a
medical
ca ee
befo e
the
death
of
his
elde
b othe
Basil
cha ged
the
successio
pla s
of
the
Assad
family.”He’s
studyi g
Russia
a d
b ushi g
up
o
his
ophthalmology
agai ,”
a
family
f ie d
told
the
Gua dia .
“It’s
a
passio
of
his,
he
obviously
does ’t
eed
the
mo ey.
Eve
befo e
the
wa
i
Sy ia
bega ,
he
used
to
egula ly
p actice
his
ophthalmology
i
Damascus.”Howeve ,
the
Rublyovka
locatio
should
be
t eated
as
a
epo ted
possibility
athe
tha
a
co fi med
cu e t
add ess.
What
is
fi mly
established
is
that
Assad
emai s
i
Russia
a d
has
bee
kept
away
f om
public
political
life.
Russia
has
kept
Assad
away
f om
public
life
Moscow’s
decisio
to
shelte
Assad
has
bee
o e
of
the
biggest
obstacles
to
attempts
by
Sy ia’s
ew
autho ities
to
b i g
the
fo me
p eside t
befo e
a
cou t.Russia
g a ted
Assad
a d
his
family
asylum
o
huma ita ia
g ou ds
afte
the
fall
of
his
gove me t.
Si ce
the ,
epo ts
have
i dicated
that
the
K emli
has
placed
est ictio s
o
his
public
activities.I
a
Novembe
2025
i te view
cited
by
the
Gua dia ,
Russia’s
ambassado
to
I aq,
Elb us
Kut ashev,
said
Assad
was
safe
i
Russia
but
could
ot
e gage
i
political
o
media
activity.”Assad
may
live
he e
but
ca ot
e gage
i
political
activities
…
He
has
o
ight
to
e gage
i
a y
media
o
political
activity.
Have
you
hea d
a ythi g
f om
him?
You
have ’t,
because
he
is
ot
allowed
to
–
but
he
is
safe
a d
alive,”
Kut ashev
said.The
est ictio s
have
co t ibuted
to
the
myste y
su ou di g
Assad’s
life
i
exile.
U like
othe
deposed
leade s
who
have
appea ed
publicly
afte
leavi g
office,
Assad
has
emai ed
la gely
i visible.His
child e ,
howeve ,
have
had
a
somewhat
mo e
visible
life
i
Moscow.
The
Gua dia
epo ted
that
Assad’s
daughte
Zei
atte ded
the
p estigious
Moscow
State
I stitute
of
I te atio al
Relatio s,
k ow
as
MGIMO,
a d
g aduated
i
Ju e
2025.
Othe
family
membe s
we e
also
see
at
the
ce emo y,
although
they
kept
a
low
p ofile.The
family
has
also
epo tedly
t avelled
to
the
U ited
A ab
Emi ates,
a
desti atio
with
which
it
had
lo gsta di g
co ectio s.
But
epo ts
said
the
family
i itially
hoped
to
elocate
the e
pe ma e tly
a d
late
co cluded
that
such
a
move
would
be
difficult
because
of
the
political
implicatio s
of
hosti g
Assad.
Why
Sy ia
se te ced
Assad
to
death
Sy ia
se te ces
abse t
Basha
al-Assad
to
death
ove
killi gs
a d
to tu e
(Image:
Reute s)
The
Damascus
cou t’s
ve dict
is
the
fi st
Sy ia
co victio
agai st
Assad
himself.
The
cou t
fou d
him
guilty
of
offe ces
i cludi g
p emeditated
a d
i te tio al
mu de ,
to tu e,
a bit a y
a est
a d
c imes
agai st
huma ity.
His
you ge
b othe
Mahe
was
ha ded
the
same
se te ce
i
abse tia.Mahe
comma ded
Sy ia’s
elite
Fou th
A mou ed
Divisio
a d
was
o e
of
the
most
powe ful
milita y
figu es
u de
Assad.
The
divisio
was
epeatedly
accused
by
oppositio
activists
a d
ights
g oups
of
i volveme t
i
c ackdow s,
killi gs
a d
to tu e
du i g
the
co flict.Assad’s
cousi
Atef
Najib,
the
fo me
head
of
political
secu ity
i
De aa
p ovi ce,
was
also
se te ced
to
death.
U like
Assad
a d
Mahe ,
Najib
was
i
Sy ia
custody
a d
appea ed
i
cou t
wea i g
a
p iso
u ifo m.Najib’s
ole
is
pa ticula ly
impo ta t
because
De aa
is
widely
ega ded
as
the
bi thplace
of
the
2011
up isi g
agai st
Assad.
The
u est
bega
afte
secu ity
fo ces
detai ed
a d
allegedly
to tu ed
tee age s
who
had
w itte
a ti-gove me t
g affiti
o
a
school
wall.The
c ackdow
that
followed
helped
tu
local
p otests
i to
atio wide
demo st atio s.
The
gove me t’s
viole t
espo se
co t ibuted
to
the
escalatio
i to
a
a med
co flict
that
eve tually
d ew
i
egio al
a d
global
powe s.The
cou t
also
se te ced
seve al
othe
fo me
milita y
a d
secu ity
officials
to
death
i
abse tia,
i cludi g
fo me
defe ce
mi iste
Fahd
al-F eij
a d
fo me
milita y
i tellige ce
chief
i
De aa
Louay
al-Ali.
Ve dict
welcomed
by
Assad’s
victims
The
uli g
was
met
with
celeb atio s
i
pa ts
of
Sy ia,
pa ticula ly
i
a eas
that
suffe ed
heavily
u de
Assad’s
secu ity
fo ces.C owds
gathe ed
outside
the
cou thouse
i
Damascus,
cha ti g
a d
wavi g
Sy ia
flags.
I
De aa,
families
of
people
killed
o
detai ed
du i g
the
ea ly
yea s
of
the
up isi g
gathe ed
with
photog aphs
of
thei
elatives.Fo
ma y
victims,
the
ve dict
ca ied
sig ifica ce
beyo d
the
pu ishme t
itself.
It
was
a
official
ack owledgeme t
by
Sy ia’s
ew
autho ities
of
c imes
committed
du i g
the
Assad
e a.Noha
al-Mas i,
a
p osecuto
i volved
i
the
case,
lost
he
b othe
du i g
the
c ackdow
i
De aa
i
2011.”We
have
bee
waiti g
fo
15
yea s
to
eclaim
eve
a
small
pa t
of
ou
ights,
fo
all
those
who
have
spilled
ou
blood,
committed
c imes,
violated
ou
ights,
killed,
a d
to tu ed
us,”
Mas i
told
the
BBC.”Ou
dema d
is
that
this
ot
be
the
e d
of
the
t ials…
I
the
ew
Sy ia,
the e
will
be
o
impu ity
f om
this
day
fo wa d.”Reute s
epo ted
that
the
t ial
p ocess
lasted
ea ly
fou
mo ths
a d
was
p ese ted
by
Sy ia’s
ew
autho ities
as
pa t
of
a
wide
effo t
to
pu sue
t a sitio al
justice
afte
the
fall
of
Assad.But
the
ve dict
has
also
d aw
c iticism
f om
huma
ights
g oups
ove
the
fai ess
of
the
p oceedi gs.
The
Associated
P ess
epo ted
that
ights
o ga isatio s
aised
co ce s
about
whethe
the
t ials
we e
ushed
a d
whethe
defe da ts
eceived
adequate
legal
p otectio s.
Huma
Rights
Watch
also
c iticised
the
use
of
the
death
pe alty,
sayi g
accou tability
equi es
a
justice
system
capable
of
gua a teei g
fai
t ials.
Ca
Sy ia
actually
b i g
Assad
back?
Fo
ow,
the
a swe
appea s
to
be
o.
The
death
se te ce
has
o
immediate
p actical
effect
o
Assad
because
he
is
outside
Sy ia
te ito y
a d
u de
Russia
p otectio .
Sy ia
would
eed
Russia
to
su e de
him
o
othe wise
allow
him
to
be
t a sfe ed
to
Sy ia
custody.A wa
al-Bu i,
head
of
the
Sy ia
Ce t e
fo
Legal
Studies
a d
Resea ch,
a gued
that
the
death
se te ce
itself
could
make
ext aditio
ha de .”The e
is
a
huge
p oblem,
which
is
that
o
o e
will
ha d
ove
a
c imi al
to
a
cou t y
that
issues
a
death
se te ce.
This
will
cut
off
the
oad
to
Assad,
a d
ma y
othe
c imi als,
bei g
ha ded
ove
to
Sy ia,”
Bu i
told
Reute s.”This
is
pe fo mative
justice,
ot
t a sitio al
justice,”
he
said.Sy ia’s
ew
autho ities
have
p eviously
sought
accou tability
fo
Assad
a d
se io
figu es
f om
his
gove me t.
The
issue
has
also
bee
pa t
of
the
complicated
elatio ship
betwee
Damascus
a d
Moscow.
Sy ia
P eside t
Ahmed
al-Sha aa
t avelled
to
Moscow
i
Octobe
2025
fo
talks
with
Russia
P eside t
Vladimi
Puti ,
with
Assad’s
ext aditio
amo g
the
issues
su ou di g
the
elatio ship.Assad
also
faces
legal
actio
outside
Sy ia.
F a ce
has
issued
a
a est
wa a t
agai st
him
ove
allegatio s
co ected
to
the
bombi g
of
a
p ess
ce t e
i
Homs
i
2012,
acco di g
to
Reute s.
F om
Sy ia’s
p eside t
to
a
secluded
exile
Assad
i he ited
the
p eside cy
i
2000
afte
the
death
of
his
fathe ,
Hafez
al-Assad,
who
had
uled
Sy ia
fo
ea ly
th ee
decades.
Basha
i itially
p ese ted
himself
as
a
mode isi g
leade ,
but
his
ule
became
i c easi gly
associated
with
political
ep essio
a d
the
secu ity
appa atus.
Basha
al-Assad
i he ited
his
p eside cy
f om
his
fathe
The
defi i g
eve t
of
his
p eside cy
was
the
2011
up isi g.
What
bega
as
p otests
dema di g
political
cha ge
developed
i to
a
devastati g
civil
wa
i volvi g
the
Sy ia
gove me t,
oppositio
g oups,
ext emist
o ga isatio s
a d
fo eig
powe s.
Russia
i te ve ed
milita ily
i
suppo t
of
Assad
i
2015,
helpi g
his
fo ces
egai
te ito y
a d
eve tually
educi g
the
oppositio ‘s
hold
ove
much
of
the
cou t y.Fo
yea s,
Assad
appea ed
to
have
su vived
the
wa .
The ,
i
late
2024,
the
bala ce
cha ged
with
ext ao di a y
speed.Fo ces
led
by
Ahmed
al-Sha aa
lau ched
a
offe sive
f om
o the
Sy ia
a d
adva ced
apidly
towa ds
Damascus.
O
Decembe
8,
the
capital
fell
a d
the
Assad
gove me t
collapsed.The
ma
who
had
uled
Sy ia
fo
mo e
tha
two
decades
disappea ed
f om
the
cou t y
a d
esu faced
i
Moscow.Nea ly
two
yea s
late ,
a
Sy ia
cou t
has
se te ced
him
to
death.
Yet
the
most
impo ta t
fact
emai s
u cha ged:
Basha
al-Assad
is
ot
i
a
Sy ia
p iso .
He
is
i
Russia,
livi g
u de
the
p otectio
of
the
cou t y
that
stood
by
his
egime
du i g
the
civil
wa .His
exact
whe eabouts
i
Moscow
emai
u disclosed.
Repo ts
have
poi ted
to
the
elite
Rublyovka
dist ict,
while
othe
details
of
his
life
suggest
a
tightly
co t olled
existe ce
away
f om
politics
a d
public
view.The
Damascus
ve dict
the efo e
closes
o e
chapte
of
Assad’s
ule,
but
ot
the
questio
of
whethe
the
fo me
Sy ia
p eside t
will
eve
etu
to
the
cou t y
he
uled
fo
24
yea s.Fo
ow,
the
death
se te ce
exists
o
pape
i
Damascus
while
Assad
emai s
thousa ds
of
kilomet es
away
i
Russia.
