Syria's ousted dictator Assad sentenced to death for crimes against humanity

Syria’s former President Bashar al-Assad, who ruled the country under a dictatorship for more than two decades, has been sentenced to death by a criminal court in Damascus after being convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country’s civil war.The verdict is the first death sentence handed down against Assad by Syria’s transitional authorities since his government collapsed in December 2024 and a new government took over under the leadership of Ahmed al-Sharaa. Assad fled to Moscow with his family as Islamist-led forces closed in on Damascus, ending his 24-year rule.The court also sentenced Atef Najib, Assad’s cousin and former head of the Political Security Directorate in the southern province of Deraa, to death. Najib was tried in person and convicted of premeditated murder and torture.Assad succeeded his father, Hafez al-Assad, in 2000 and ruled Syria until his ouster in December 2024. His father had governed the country for nearly three decades. The Syrian civil war began in 2011 after security forces violently cracked down on anti-government protests in Deraa. The uprising escalated into a nationwide conflict involving government forces, armed opposition groups and foreign powers, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and millions displaced.During the war, Assad’s government faced extensive allegations of unlawful killings, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and attacks on civilian areas. UN investigators and international rights organisations documented alleged abuses by government forces as well as violations by armed opposition groups and other parties to the conflict. Government forces were also accused of using chemical weapons. Investigations by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and UN-linked mechanisms attributed several chemical attacks to Syrian government forces, including the August 2013 sarin attack on opposition-held areas of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus. Arrest warrants were issued for Assad over complicity in crimes against humanity linked to chemical attacks in 2013.The former government was also accused of running a widespread detention and torture system. International investigations documented torture and deaths in custody, while former Syrian security officials have faced prosecution in European courts over alleged involvement in abuses carried out under the Assad government.The death sentence comes as Syria’s transitional authorities pursue legal proceedings against former regime officials and security figures. While some defendants are appearing in court, others, including Assad, are being tried in absentia.- EndsPublished By: Devika BhattacharyaPublished On: Aug 11, 2026 14:13 IST