Ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad sentenced to death in absentia
Syrian court sentences fugitive former dictator Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, alongside his cousin following a historic trial.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad sentenced to death in absentia
- Cousin Atef Najib also receives death penalty and appears in a courtroom cage
- Assad fled to Moscow in December 2024 after his five-decade regime collapsed
- Syria's interim government began trying former regime officials earlier this year
Bashar al-Assad, the ousted Syrian dictator whose family maintained a five-decade grip on power, has been sentenced to death in absentia by a Syrian court. Assad fled from Damascus to Moscow alongside his family after his regime was overthrown in December 2024.
In the same legal proceedings, the court also handed down a death sentence to Atef Najib, Assad's cousin and the former head of political security in southern Syria's Deraa province. Najib appeared inside a cage in the courtroom as the judge read out his sentence on Tuesday, marking him as one of the highest-ranking officials brought to trial.
Deraa is widely recognized as the birthplace of the 2011 uprising against Assad's rule, sparked by the detention and alleged torture of teenagers over anti-government graffiti. That violent crackdown catalyzed nationwide demonstrations that escalated into a devastating civil war. The current trials initiated by Syria's interim government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa represent a crucial step on a long road toward accountability for the victims of the former regime.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Despite the interim government detaining numerous former officials and security personnel since forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa seized power in an 11-day campaign, most senior figures from the old regime—including Assad himself—remain safely out of reach in Russia. It currently remains unclear whether the new authorities will successfully secure Assad's extradition from Moscow.
This ruling follows previous legal actions taken by Syria's new leadership, including an arrest warrant issued against Assad last December on charges of murder and torture. Previous attempts by Syrian opposition figures to prosecute Assad in Western courts during his final years in power yielded no convictions.
Source: BBC World
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