A Syrian court has sentenced former ruler Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, convicting him on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity stemming from the nation's civil war. The ruling was issued by transitional authorities.
Al-Assad was also found guilty of the premeditated murder of civilians, including children, as well as torture and arbitrary detention. The court sentenced him alongside Atef Najib, the former head of political security in southern Syria’s Deraa province, who was reportedly tried in person.
In December 2024, al-Assad fled Syria with his family to Moscow as rebel forces, led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its leader Abu Mohammad al-Julani, closed in on Damascus. Al-Julani is now the president of the country.
Syrian government forces under al-Assad's rule are believed to have been responsible for killing approximately 90% of the more than 300,000 civilians estimated to have died between 2011 and December 2024. The civil war also led to an exodus of 6.6 million people from Syria. Between 2011 and 2023, an additional 154,000 individuals were forcibly disappeared or arbitrarily detained by government forces, and more than 135,000 people, including women and children, were subjected to torture, incarceration, or death within Ba'athist prison networks.
Al-Assad, who was known by the nickname 'The Butcher,' is now believed to be living in Moscow. Syrian courts began trying former government figures this year, with proceedings held both in person and in absentia.