A Syrian court has sentenced former President Bashar al‑Assad to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the civil war. The decision marks the first formal conviction of the former regime.
The ruling also handed death sentences to the former head of security, Atef Najib, and to six other high‑ranking military and intelligence officials, including the former Prime Minister Fahd al‑Freij and the former commander Maher al‑Assad. Najib appeared in the courtroom wearing a striped prison uniform, a symbolic image that underscored the gravity of the verdict.
Following the verdict, thousands gathered outside the courthouse. Many carried photographs of relatives who had been killed by the regime, and the atmosphere was described as one of jubilation and a sense of closure. One protester expressed that the “joy is indescribable,” while a woman who lost her brother underlines the significance of the trial for victim communities.
The new Syrian authorities have questioned whether they can secure the extradition of Bashar al‑Assad and his brother from Moscow, where they had fled after the regime’s collapse in December 2024. The court’s action follows a series of prosecutions of former regime officials carried out by the interim government.
The sentences reflect Russia’s possible diplomatic resistance to extradition, but they also serve as a symbolic affirmation that the atrocities of the past decade will not go unpunished. The international community continues to watch closely as justice unfolds in the post‑Assad era.
