Syrian ousted dictator Bashar Al Assad sentenced to death for crimes against humanity

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New-Delhi: 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.

Assad’s younger brother, Maher Assad, was also sentenced to death in the same case. The court additionally handed down a death sentence to Atef Najib, Assad’s maternal cousin, for his alleged role in leading a violent crackdown in the southern province of Daraa that helped trigger the 2011 uprising and ultimately contributed to the outbreak of Syria’s civil war.

According to court convictions, Assad was convicted over charges linked to the 13-year civil war, with the case also described as involving “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity”.

Assad fled Syria with his family in December 2024 as opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) advanced towards Damascus. He was subsequently granted asylum in Russia.

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Assad was ousted after HTS-led opposition forces launched an offensive from the northwestern province of Idlib and reached Damascus in the early hours of December 8, 2024, bringing an end to more than five decades of rule by the Assad family.

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.

During the  Syrian civil war, Assad’s government faced extensive allegations of unlawful killings, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and attacks on civilian areas.

The death sentences against Assad, Maher and Najib mark a significant judicial development in efforts to hold senior figures from the former Syrian government accountable for alleged atrocities committed during the conflict.

Also Read: Explosions Heard Near Syrian Hotel Where French PM Was To Stay

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