{"id":8592,"date":"2026-08-11T23:09:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T18:09:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/?p=8592"},"modified":"2026-08-11T23:09:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T18:09:34","slug":"ousted-syrian-president-bashar-al-assad-handed-death-sentence-in-absentia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/2026\/08\/11\/ousted-syrian-president-bashar-al-assad-handed-death-sentence-in-absentia","title":{"rendered":"Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad handed death sentence in absentia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Damascus (Web Desk\/Agencies):<\/strong> A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad and two former regime officials to death, finding them guilty in absentia of serious crimes committed during Syria\u2019s nearly 14-year conflict, including murder, torture and unlawful detention.<\/p>\n

The verdict represents the first conviction handed down by a Syrian court against Assad since his government was overthrown in December 2024. His fall followed a rapid rebel offensive that ended decades of rule by the Assad family after years of devastating conflict that left hundreds of thousands of people dead.<\/p>\n

Following the announcement, crowds gathered outside the court in Damascus, where people celebrated by chanting, applauding and waving Syrian flags.<\/p>\n

Assad fled Damascus as rebel forces closed in on the capital nearly two years ago. He was later granted asylum in Russia on humanitarian grounds, where he continues to live with members of his family.<\/p>\n

During the proceedings, the court found Assad responsible for several grave offences, including the intentional killing of multiple people and children, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity. The judge subsequently handed him a death sentence in absentia.<\/p>\n

The same punishment was imposed on his brother, Maher al-Assad, who previously commanded the elite Fourth Armoured Division. The unit was heavily involved in suppressing anti-government protests and helping Assad\u2019s forces regain control of areas captured by rebels. It was also accused of involvement in the production and trafficking of drugs that allegedly generated revenue for the former regime.<\/p>\n

Former security official Atef Najib was also sentenced to death. Najib served in Deraa province, where the uprising against Assad\u2019s government began in 2011.<\/p>\n

Najib, who has family ties to the Assad clan, was arrested by Syrian security forces in early 2025. He was the only one of the three defendants to appear personally before the court, while Assad and Maher were tried in absentia.<\/p>\n

The verdict also sparked demonstrations in Deraa, where residents gathered carrying photographs of relatives and other Syrians who were detained or killed during the conflict. Among the photographs was that of Hamza al-Khatib, a 13-year-old boy who activists said was detained by Syrian security forces, tortured and later killed.<\/p>\n

Prosecutor Noha al-Masri, who attended the sentencing, also has a personal connection to the conflict. Her brother was killed during a crackdown on a protest in Deraa in 2011. Speaking to Reuters, she said the ruling represented the immense sacrifices made by Syrians and the suffering experienced by families who lost loved ones during the war.<\/p>\n

The case followed nearly four months of court proceedings and has been described by Syria\u2019s new Islamist-led authorities as part of broader efforts to pursue transitional justice and help the country move beyond the Assad era.<\/p>\n

However, legal experts have questioned whether the death sentences could make it harder for Syria to secure the return of Assad and other former regime figures from abroad.<\/p>\n

Anwar al-Bunni, head of the Syrian Centre for Legal Studies and Research, said countries generally avoid extraditing suspects to states where they could face execution. Speaking to Reuters, he argued that the verdict could therefore reduce the chances of Assad and other alleged perpetrators being brought back to Syria, describing the proceedings as largely symbolic rather than a genuine process of transitional justice.<\/p>\n

Born in 1965, Assad became Syria\u2019s president in 2000 after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad. He continued his family\u2019s long-standing political dominance while maintaining the influence of the Alawite community in a country whose population is predominantly Sunni Muslim.<\/p>\n

During his presidency, Syria maintained close relations with Russia and Iran while remaining at odds with Israel and the United States. His rule was also shaped by developments linked to the Iraq war and Syria\u2019s military presence in neighbouring Lebanon.<\/p>\n

However, Assad\u2019s presidency became closely associated with the conflict that erupted after the Arab Spring reached Syria in 2011. Pro-democracy demonstrations spread across the country, but the government responded with a forceful crackdown, eventually turning the uprising into a prolonged and devastating civil war.<\/p>\n

In 2018, then-US President Donald Trump referred to Assad as an \u201canimal\u201d amid allegations that Syrian government forces had used chemical weapons. Assad rejected the accusations.<\/p>\n

Although many initially expected his government to collapse, Assad remained in power through years of fighting, even as rebel groups captured significant parts of the country.<\/p>\n

The situation changed sharply in 2024 when rebel forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is now Syria\u2019s president, launched a rapid nationwide offensive. The campaign lasted less than two weeks and ended with Assad losing power and fleeing Syria.<\/p>\n

Assad is also wanted in France, where an arrest warrant has been issued against him over his alleged connection to the 2012 bombing of a media centre in Homs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Damascus (Web Desk\/Agencies): A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad and two former regime officials to death, finding them guilty in absentia of serious crimes committed during Syria\u2019s nearly 14-year conflict, including murder, torture and unlawful detention. The verdict represents the first conviction handed down by a Syrian court against Assad since …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":8593,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[160,2294],"class_list":["post-8592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-headline","tag-youdigital"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8592"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8592\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8594,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8592\/revisions\/8594"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/youdigital.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}