Former Syrian leader Assad sentenced to death in absentia over war crimes
The ruling is the first of its kind under Syria's transitional leaders who ousted Assad in December 2024, vowing to ensure justice and accountability for crimes committed under his rule.
Assad fled to Moscow as Islamist-led forces closed in on Damascus after a lightning offensive.
At a court in Damascus, Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan convicted Assad for crimes including "premeditated murder, the intentional killing of more than one person, the intentional killing of children under 15 years... torture, torture leading to death, and deprivation of liberty on multiple occasions – classified as crimes against humanity and war crimes".
"He is therefore sentenced to death," he said.
Proceedings began in April against Assad and other officials accused in person and in absentia of atrocities during the country's civil war, which erupted with the former authorities' brutal repression of pro-democracy protesters.
More than half a million people were killed and millions displaced, while tens of thousands of people disappeared, many into the country's brutal prison system. Syrian President Bashar Assad and his wife Asma Assad, pictured in 2010.
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The court also sentenced six former military and security officials in absentia to death – including Assad's brother Maher, who ran the army's elite Fourth Division and also fled Syria.
Those convicted also include former defence minister Fahd al-Freij and Louay al-Ali, who headed military intelligence in Daraa province in 2011.
No remorse
Former security official Atif Najib – the only one of the accused to appear in the dock – was also sentenced to death for "crimes against humanity" committed when he was head of political security in Daraa province, the cradle of the country's 2011 uprising.
Najib, a cousin of Assad who was arrested in January last year, was convicted for crimes including murder, "the intentional killing of children under 15" and "torture leading to death".
The acts attributed to him are "crimes against humanity", the court said as it handed down "the harshest punishment against him, which is the death penalty". Former head of political security in Daraa province, Atif Najib, attends the first trial session at the Palace of Justice in Damascus, 26 April.
Syria's uprising began in Daraa in March 2011, after 15 students were arrested for allegedly writing anti-government slogans on the city's walls.
Residents said the students were tortured, leading to a protest to demand their release which ended in bloodshed.
Security personnel suppressed peaceful demonstrations with force and fired live ammunition to disperse sit-ins at several locations.
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Najib was dismissed after the crackdown, as the protests spread to other provinces.
Aryan said Najib had denied the charges against him and showed "no remorse".
Lawyer Amer Kazzaz said those convicted had the right to appeal "if there was an error in the application of the law or if the court has committed a gross professional mistake".
Hiba Zayadin from Human Rights Watch said on social media platform X that "today's scenes reflect 15 years of pain".
She said the rights watchdog "opposes the death penalty in all cases. It's cruel and irreversible, especially when a fair trial isn't guaranteed".
"Genuine accountability depends on Syria building a justice system that lasts," she added.
Syria's national commission for transitional justice called the ruling against Najib "an important milestone in the process of accountability for grave crimes".
Assad took the Syrian presidency in 2000 after the death of his father Hafez. His fall on 8 December, 2024 ended his family's five-decade rule.
(with AFP)