Syrian court sentences Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity

The verdict

A Damascus criminal court sentenced ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia on Tuesday, 11 August 2026, convicting him of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country's nearly 14-year civil war. Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan found Assad guilty of premeditated and intentional murder of multiple persons, intentional killing of children under 15, torture resulting in death, arbitrary detention, and crimes against humanity. It was the first conviction against Assad, who was ousted in a rebel offensive in December 2024 that ended decades of his family's rule.

Co-defendants and the one who stood in court

The court also sentenced to death in absentia several other former officials, including Assad's brother Maher al-Assad, who commanded the army's elite 4th Division and also fled to Russia. Former defense minister Fahd al-Freij and Louay al-Ali, who headed military intelligence in Daraa province, were among those condemned. The only defendant physically present was Atef Najib, Assad's cousin and former political security chief in Daraa, arrested in Latakia in January 2025. Najib was convicted of crimes including the intentional killing of minors under 15 and torture resulting in death. According to the judge, Najib denied the charges and showed no remorse.

Assad's path from Damascus to Moscow

Assad, born in 1965, became president in 2000 after the death of his father Hafez al-Assad, who had built an authoritarian system rooted in the military and security services. Initially regarded as a reform-minded ophthalmologist, Assad brutally suppressed the pro-democracy protests that erupted in 2011, triggering the civil war. He fled Damascus for Moscow in December 2024 as HTS-led rebel forces closed in on the capital, leaving behind officials and security personnel, some of whom reportedly went into exile abroad or sought refuge in the coastal Alawite stronghold.

The civil war's toll

The Syrian civil war, triggered by the violent repression of Arab Spring protests, began in March 2011 in the city of Daraa after the arrest of 15 students accused of writing anti-government slogans. Residents said the youths were tortured in custody, sparking demonstrations for their release. The crackdown spread nationwide and escalated into a conflict that killed more than 500,000 people, left tens of thousands disappeared, and displaced more than 10 million. The transitional authorities, led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the former HTS commander who took power after Assad's fall, have pledged to pursue justice for crimes committed under the former regime.

What the sentence means in practice

The in-absentia death sentence does not automatically result in execution. Its enforcement will depend on whether Assad ever comes under the jurisdiction of authorities in Damascus. The court also decided that Assad should be prosecuted internationally, according to Al Arabiya. The trial against Assad and his inner circle was opened in April 2026, and the new Syrian leadership has stated its intention to hold former officials from Assad's security and government apparatus accountable. NGOs and foreign governments had previously stressed the importance of transitional justice for the country's future.