Death Penalty Imposed Upon Syria’s Departed President Al-Assad for War Crimes

Syrian court located in Damascus has awarded a death penalty to Syria’s former president, Bashar al-Assad, for his commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria, which had lasted over 14 years and led to the killing of about 5 lakh people.

Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus has convicted the former Syrian president for committing premeditated murder of citizens, including children, torture, arbitrary arrest, and crimes against humanity.
"In the name of the state authority, Assad committed war crimes and crimes against humanity," Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan told in his statement during the live broadcast of the court proceedings by the Syrian state-run television channel.

Furthermore, court ordered Assad to be tracked internationally.

Maher al-Assad, his younger brother, was given death penalty in his absence for premeditated murder and torture. Both Assad brothers have moved to Moscow after their rivals, under the leadership of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, seized Damascus in December 2024, ending the rule of their family in Syria, which lasted over 5 decades.

In addition, Assad’s cousin, Atef Najib, who served as the director of the Political Security Branch in the southern province of Daraa in Syria, has received the death penalty from the court. Unlike the brothers Assad, whose trial was in absentia, Atef Najib appeared in person in court in the defendants' cage in prison clothes.

Atef Najib has been found guilty because of his involvement in the 2011 crackdown in Daraa, when security forces arrested and tortured teenagers for drawing graffiti against the government. As a result, there were nationwide riots, which developed into civil war.

This is the first decision on Assad and officials in his administration since the fall of his government. The transitional Syrian authorities began to prosecute members of the regime in absentia and in person this year.

It is unknown if Damascus will manage to extradite Assad from Russia, and the latter does not seem to be planning to do so right now. Assad’s arrest warrant for murder and torture has been issued back in December.