Syria Court Sentences Assad to Death in Absentia for War Crimes

A Syrian criminal court in Damascus sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, marking the most significant legal action yet by the country's transitional authorities against the former ruler. The court also sentenced his brother, Maher al-Assad, to death in absentia and handed a death sentence to their cousin, Atef Najib, who appeared in court.

The verdicts were delivered by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Syria's 14-year civil war. Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan stated that the court convicted Bashar al-Assad of "the premeditated murder of more than one person, including children, and of torture, arbitrary detention, and crimes against humanity." Maher al-Assad, who commanded the elite 4th Armoured Division, received the same sentence for his role in the former government's military and security structure.

Atef Najib, a former army brigadier general and head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa province, was tried in person. He stood inside a cage wearing a prisoner's uniform as the sentence was read. The court found him guilty of premeditated murder and...