DAMASCUS: A Syrian court has sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad to death for crimes against humanity, according to media reports.
The court handed down the sentence in absentia, as Assad was not present during the proceedings.
The court said it convicted Assad on charges involving premeditated and intentional killings.
The court also sentenced Atef Najib, a former Syrian security official and Assad’s cousin, to death. Najib was present in the courtroom when the verdict was announced and wore the clothing designated for defendants.
Najib served as a brigadier general in the Syrian military. In 2011, he headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa during Assad’s rule.
Authorities accused him of overseeing a crackdown in Daraa. The crackdown later helped fuel the uprising that developed into Syria’s civil war.
On Dec. 8, 2024, Syrian rebels seized Damascus and announced the fall of Assad’s government. Assad and his brother then fled to Russia, while Najib was arrested.
Assad’s family had ruled Syria for decades. Bashar al-Assad took power in July 2000 after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, who ruled the country from 1971 to 2000.
