A Syrian court sentenced ousted leader Bashar Al Assad to death on Tuesday following a trial in absentia, convicting him of multiple crimes including killings, torture, and arbitrary arrest during the country’s nearly 14-year war. This verdict marks the first Syrian conviction against Assad, who was removed from power during a rebel offensive in December 2024 that ended his family’s decades-long iron-fisted rule and the brutal conflict that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of Syrians.
As news of the sentencing spread, crowds of Syrians gathered outside the courthouse in Damascus, celebrating by chanting, clapping, and waving the national flag. Assad, who fled the capital as rebel forces advanced nearly two years ago, currently resides in Russia, where he and his family were granted asylum on humanitarian grounds.
During the trial of former government officials, a judge handed down the death sentence to the former president for the “premeditated and intentional murder of more than one person and of children, torture, arbitrary arrest and crimes against humanity.” The court issued an identical sentence in absentia to Assad’s brother, Maher, who formerly commanded the Fourth Armoured Division. Maher was accused of leading violent crackdowns on protesters, recapturing territory for the regime, and orchestrating the production and trade of illegal narcotics to fund the family’s operations.
Atef Najib, an Assad-era security official who oversaw the southern province of Deraa—the site of the initial 2011 protests—also received a death sentence. Unlike the others, Najib was the only defendant tried in person, having been detained by Syrian security forces in early 2025. In Deraa, citizens celebrated the ruling while displaying photographs of victims, including 13-year-old Hamza al-Khatib, who activists reported was arrested, tortured, and killed by security forces.
Prosecutor Noha al-Masri, who lost her own brother during a 2011 crackdown in Deraa, addressed the court following the sentencing. “The ruling that came, as we expected, was as big as the sacrifices that Syrians gave for 15 years, as big as the suffering of the families and relatives of the martyrs,” Masri stated. The verdict concludes a four-month trial process, which the new Islamist-led government characterizes as a commitment to transitional justice.
Legal experts have expressed skepticism regarding the practical implications of the ruling. Anwar al-Bunni, head of the Syrian Centre for Legal Studies and Research, argued that the death penalty creates a diplomatic barrier. “There is a huge problem, which is that no one will hand over a criminal to a country that issues a death sentence. This will cut off the road to Assad, and many other criminals, being handed over to Syria,” Bunni noted, describing the proceedings as “performative justice” rather than true transitional justice.
Born in 1965, Bashar Al Assad assumed the presidency in 2000 following the death of his father, Hafez. His tenure was characterized by the maintenance of Alawite dominance in the Sunni-majority nation and a strategic alignment with Russia and Iran, while maintaining a hostile stance toward Israel and the United States. His early years in power were shaped by the Iraq War and Syria’s military presence in Lebanon, but his legacy was ultimately defined by the 2011 Arab Spring, during which his security forces responded to democratic protests with lethal force.
Assad’s international reputation plummeted during the conflict; in 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump branded him an “animal” over the use of chemical weapons, an accusation Assad consistently denied. Despite losing significant territory early in the war, he managed to outlast many foreign leaders who predicted his imminent downfall. However, his hold on power finally collapsed in 2024 when rebels led by current President Ahmed al-Sharaa executed a lightning offensive that swept across the country in less than two weeks.
The legal challenges facing the former leader extend beyond Syrian borders. Assad remains the subject of an active arrest warrant in France related to the 2012 bombing of a press centre in Homs. As the new administration attempts to consolidate its authority, the sentencing serves as a symbolic milestone for many survivors, even as the prospect of enforcing these judgments against figures currently under foreign protection remains highly uncertain.
However, some said the death sentence would diminish any chance of Assad and his fellow defendants being repatriated to face justice in their home country.
Source: Gulf Today
