Syria: Ousted president Bashar al-Assad sentenced to death in absentia

A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced ousted president Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher and several other former officials to death in absentia for crimes committed during the civil war, the first convictions of members of the former regime.

The transitional authorities, who overthrew Assad at the end of 2024 after 13 years of a deadly civil war, had pledged that justice would be done for the crimes committed.

The trial of Bashar al-Assad and his co-defendants began in April, with most sessions held behind closed doors. The dictator, who fled to Moscow in December 2024 as Islamist-led forces advanced on Damascus, was tried in absentia.

The Damascus court found him guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes including "premeditated murder, intentional killing of multiple people, intentional killing of children under 15 years of age (...), torture resulting in death and deprivation of liberty".

"He is therefore sentenced to death," said Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan.

Dozens of people had gathered outside the courthouse, carrying photos of their loved ones who disappeared or were imprisoned under the old regime, and erupted in joy at the announcement of the verdict.

Many had come from Daraa, the cradle of the uprising, including Ramzi Abou Naboud, who held a portrait of his brother Ahmed, killed during the repression of a rally in his city in 2011.

"I thank God and justice, today we obtained a judgment that warmed our hearts, even if it will not resurrect those who were killed," he told AFP.

- Only one defendant present -

Since the end of April, the court has heard from witnesses and has been shown classified documents, images and information.

In addition to the former president, the court sentenced several former military and security officials to death in absentia, including Bashar al-Assad's brother, Maher, who headed an elite army division.

Former Defense Minister Fahd al-Freij and Louay al-Ali, who headed military intelligence in Daraa province, were also sentenced to death.

The only defendant to appear in court, Atef Najib, a cousin of the ousted president, was arrested in January 2025. He was also sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, committed when he was head of political security in Daraa.

The court emphasized that he had shown "no remorse." His sentence is a "significant milestone," reacted the Syrian National Commission for Transitional Justice.

The defendants have 30 days to appeal, according to the Minister of Justice.

This "response to long-standing demands for justice and truth can help restore confidence in institutions, and lasting peace," a UN spokesperson said, while recalling the General Assembly's opposition to the death penalty.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), present at several hearings, considered that these first convictions constituted a "test" of the Syrian authorities' willingness to prosecute the violence committed under the Assad era.

The process must "meet international standards in terms of fair trials, which also means abolishing the death penalty," she also noted.

Nanar Hawach, an analyst with the International Crisis Group, called for "more thorough investigations, because families need to know the truth about the missing." He also urged that the prosecutions be "broadened" to include "all armed factions that took part in the war."

- "15 years of suffering" -

The Syrian civil war was triggered by the bloody repression of pro-democracy demonstrations in the wake of the Arab Spring, a wave of revolts against the powers that be across the region.

More than half a million people have been killed and millions more displaced in Syria. Tens of thousands have disappeared, many victims of widespread abuses in regime prisons.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad, who had succeeded his father Hafez in 2000, brought an end to more than half a century of unchallenged rule by his family clan.

The outpourings of joy outside the courthouse, broadcast on social media, "reflect 15 years of suffering," wrote Hiba Zayadin, Syria specialist for HRW, on X.