Bashar al-Assad, who ruled Syria for more than two decades before being forced to flee amid a civil war in 2024 and ending the Assad-era after five decades, has been sentenced to death along with his brother Maher al-Assad , who commanded the notorious ‘fourth division’ of the military and was considered the regime’s top security official, cousin Atef Najib, and six others.
Investigation and Response
The former President was convicted specifically for intentional murder of multiple people, intentional killing of children under 15, intentional killing accompanied by torture and brutality, and incitement to intentional murder on multiple occasions. The court heard witnesses who were minors at the time recall torture including beating, electric shocks, suspension, and nail removal, with Najib, who was then the head of political security in Daraa, personally interrogating some. Meanwhile, Amnesty International expressed concerns over the judicial proceedings, stressing shortly after the verdict was issued that trials and death sentences in absentia are incompatible with international standards of fair-trial guarantees.
The court held the ousted leader Assad responsible for a “joint criminal project”, saying that as President throughout the period covered by the case, including the years-long civil war that followed shortly after the uprising, he had power over state institutions while the crackdown and other crimes took place.
The sentencing of the Assad brothers and others followed the recent precedent set by Bangladesh, whose ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was similarly sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity by the countries International Crimes Tribunal in November last year.
