A Syrian court has sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia over allegations linked to crimes against humanity, international media reported.
The court reportedly found Assad guilty of charges involving premeditated and intentional killings. He was not present in court when the sentence was announced.
The court also handed down a death sentence to Atef Najib, a cousin of Assad and a former senior security official. Najib was reportedly present in the courtroom during the announcement and appeared in the clothing designated for defendants.
Najib previously served as a brigadier general in the Syrian military and headed the Political Security Branch in the southern province of Daraa in 2011. He was accused of overseeing a crackdown in Daraa, an episode that was later linked to the developments that led to Syria’s civil war.
Assad’s government ended after Syrian rebels seized Damascus on December 8, 2024, and announced the fall of his rule. Assad and his brother subsequently fled to Russia, while Najib was arrested.
Bashar al-Assad had ruled Syria since July 2000, taking power following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad. Hafez al-Assad had governed Syria from 1971 until 2000.
