The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus on Tuesday sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad and their cousin Atef Najib to death after finding them guilty of crimes committed during Syria’s nearly 14-year war. Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan convicted Bashar al-Assad in absentia of premeditated murder, torture and crimes against humanity; Bashar was toppled in December 2024 and is living in exile in Russia. Maher al-Assad was also sentenced in absentia for premeditated murder and torture. Atef Najib, who was arrested in January last year and stood inside a cage wearing a prison uniform as the sentence was read, was convicted of crimes against humanity including murder, the intentional killing of children under 15 and torture leading to death. The court handed death sentences in absentia to several other former military and security officials, including former Defence Minister Fahd al-Freij and Louay al-Ali, the military intelligence chief in Daraa in 2011. Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto in Damascus said the ruling will bring relief to many Syrians and help their “healing process,” and Osama bin Javaid said the verdict sets a strong legal precedent for other accused figures. Damascus has repeatedly asked Moscow to extradite Bashar al-Assad, but Moscow has granted him asylum and is unlikely to return him; Syrian authorities are meanwhile working with Lebanese officials to identify and repatriate other wanted former officials.
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