Bashar al-Assad, Atef Najib sentenced to death in landmark Syria trial

BREAKING, The former Syrian leader has been convicted of premeditated murder, torture and Crimes against humanity.Syria’s ex-President Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad and cousin Atef Najib have been sentenced to death after being convicted of crimes during the country’s nearly 14-year war.The Criminal Court in Damascus on Tuesday found Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December 2024 and now lives in exile in Russia, guilty of premeditated murder, torture and Crimes against humanity, and sentenced him to death in absentia.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3President Ahmed al-Sharaa: Syria seeking security deal with Israellist 2 of 3Fragile peace in Syria’s Set Zaynab as sectarian challenges persistlist 3 of 3‘They need each other’: What’s behind the new Syria-Russia accord?end of listThe court also sentenced his younger brother Maher al-Assad, also now living in Russia, to death in absentia for premeditated murder and torture.Atef Najib, the former head of political security in southern Syria’s Deraa province who was detained by Syrian authorities in January last year, was sentenced to death for “Crimes against humanity”.Najib, who launched a deadly crackdown on protesters in Deraa in 2011 that led to the uprising and later civil war, stood inside a cage wearing a prisoner’s uniform as the judge read the sentence.His crimes include murder, “the intentional killing of children under 15” and “torture leading to death”, according to the court.Ruling brings Syrians ‘a lot of relief’The ruling against al-Assad and his relatives is the first under the transitional authorities who began trying figures from the former government this year.Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan, who addressed the court, said witness testimony established the former Syrian leader’s role in the crimes as “the highest decision-maker” and that he had used state institutions to facilitate their commission.