Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Sentenced to Death in Absentia
Damascus court delivers the first major death sentences against Assad and members of his inner circle since the fall of his family’s decades-long rule.
- Assad sentenced to death in absentia.
- His brother and cousin also receive death sentences.
- Ruling covers alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
A Syrian court has sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia over alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the country’s 14-year conflict.
The ruling, delivered Tuesday by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, also sentenced Assad’s younger brother and maternal cousin, Atef Najib, to death in the same case.
The sentences represent the first major convictions against Assad or members of his inner circle since his family’s decades-long rule in Syria ended about 20 months ago.
During the court session, which was broadcast live on state television, Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan said Assad had used state institutions to carry out war crimes and crimes against humanity. 
Najib was specifically convicted over his alleged role in overseeing a crackdown in the southern province of Daraa. The crackdown contributed to the unrest that developed into the wider uprising and subsequent civil war.
Syria’s conflict, which lasted for more than a decade, resulted in an estimated 500,000 deaths and displaced millions of people.
Assad was ousted after his government collapsed, bringing an end to more than five decades of rule by the Assad family.
