A Syrian tribunal has handed down a death sentence to former leader Bashar al-Assad for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Assad, who saw his family’s 50-year control of Syria end in December 2024, is currently in Moscow, having fled there with his family following the collapse of his regime.
During the same proceedings, Atef Najib, a cousin of Assad and the former political security chief for the Deraa province, was also sentenced to death. Najib appeared before the court in person, housed within a cage as the verdict was delivered. Deraa is historically significant as the location where the initial 2011 protests against the regime began, following the detention of teenagers who had produced anti-government graffiti.
The subsequent heavy-handed crackdown by state forces triggered a nationwide conflict that resulted in hundreds of thousands of fatalities. Syria’s current interim government has been conducting trials for former regime officials throughout the year, with Najib being among the most prominent figures prosecuted. His conviction includes charges related to the intentional killing of children under the age of 15 and torture resulting in death.
While an arrest warrant was issued for Assad last December, it remains uncertain if the current administration can compel Russia to extradite him. Although new leadership under President Ahmed al-Sharaa has detained various former security personnel, many high-ranking members of the previous government remain in Russia and away from Syrian legal reach.
