DAMASCUS: The criminal court in Damascus has sentenced Syria’s ousted former president, Bashar al-Assad, to death in absentia.
According to Arab and international media reports, the court found Bashar al-Assad guilty of premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention, and crimes against humanity. The former president was not present during the court proceedings, as he fled to Russia following the collapse of his government.
The court also handed down the death penalty to Atif Najib, a former security official and cousin of Bashar al-Assad. Najib was accused of the killing and torture of detainees, including children.
Atif Najib, a former brigadier general in the Syrian army, served as the head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa province in 2011. He was accused of orchestrating the brutal crackdown on demonstrators in Daraa, an event that sparked the civil unrest and eventual civil war in Syria. Unlike Assad, Najib was present in court during the sentencing, wearing standard prisoner attire.
It is worth noting that Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher fled Syria for Russia in December 2024 after opposition forces seized control of Damascus. Consequently, the former president was sentenced in his absence.
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