Rifaat al-Assad

Rifaat al-Assad, the brother of former Syrian President Hafez al-Assad and uncle of current President Bashar al-Assad, died in the United Arab Emirates at the age of 89. He is newsworthy due to his death and his infamous role in Syrian history. Rifaat commanded the paramilitary “Defence Companies” (Saraya al-Difa) and is widely known as the 'Butcher of Hama' for his involvement in the brutal suppression of the 1982 Hama uprising, where his forces killed an estimated 40,000 civilians. In recent years, he faced legal challenges, including a conviction for money laundering in France and accusations of war crimes in Switzerland. His death marks the end of a controversial figure who was both a key player in the Assad family's decades-long rule and a symbol of its brutal tactics.