A Syrian court on Aug. 11 sentenced ousted president Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher to death in absentia over crimes committed during the 2011 crackdown in the southern province of Daraa.
The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus also sentenced Atif Najib, al-Assad’s cousin and the former head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa, to death. Najib was present in court when the verdict was announced.
The court convicted the defendants of premeditated murder, torture and other offenses, ruling that their actions amounted to crimes against humanity and war crimes, according to Syria’s official SANA news agency.
Presiding Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said witness testimony established Bashar al-Assad’s role as the “highest decision-maker” and showed that he had used state institutions to facilitate the crimes.
Al-Assad was convicted of the intentional killing of multiple people, including children, incitement to murder, torture and arbitrary detention.
The case centered on the repression of protests in Daraa, including the arrest and torture of schoolchildren whose detention helped trigger the 2011 uprising. Najib was also accused of involvement in the security assault on Daraa’s al-Omari Mosque and the torture of detainees.
Najib was arrested in January 2025, shortly after al-Assad’s government was toppled, and his public trial began on April 26. Several other former military and security officials were also sentenced to death in absentia.
Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia after his government collapsed in December 2024.
