Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Bashar Assad, Brother Maher Sentenced to Death in Absentia
A long time ago, a man named Bashar al-Assad was the boss of a country called Syria.
Some people were unhappy and protested, and the fighting turned into a war that lasted 14 years.
The war was terrible, and about half a million people died.
In December 2024, other fighters took over the capital city, and Assad ran away to Russia.
A court in Syria decided that Assad, his brother, and his cousin had done very bad things, like hurting and killing people.
The court said they should get the most serious punishment anyone can get.
Assad and his brother were not in the courtroom because they were in Russia, but his cousin was there.
After the war, a new leader named Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power.
Some people are worried that the new government is not treating everyone fairly either.
Syria's Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher to death in absentia for premeditated murder, torture and crimes against humanity.
Detained maternal cousin Atef Najib, a former brigadier general, was also sentenced to death after charges including the intentional killing of children under 15 and torture leading to death.
The rulings are the first judicial action against key ruling figures of Syria's former government, which had held power for five decades before falling to rebels.
Assad and Maher fled to Russia after rebel group Hay'et Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overran Damascus in about 14 days, ending a conflict that killed roughly half a million people.
Atef Najib headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa in 2011, where the crackdown on arrested teenagers helped trigger the uprising that became the civil war.
- Who
- Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and his maternal cousin Atef Najib, judged in the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus.
- What
- They were given death sentences for premeditated murder, torture and crimes against humanity during Syria's 14-year conflict.
- When
- A Tuesday court session aired live on state TV; Assad had been toppled in December 2024 (one report says December 2014).
- Where
- Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, Syria.
- Why
- For crimes including the 2011 Daraa crackdown led by Atef Najib, which triggered the uprising and the ensuing civil war.
Critics of the new government
Supporters of transitional justice
Scope of transitional justice
Critics of the new government
Human Rights Watch criticised the National Commissions for Transitional Justice for focusing on the Assad regime and overlooking war crimes committed by others, including al-Sharaa's own HTS.
Supporters of transitional justice
The death sentences are a landmark, marking the first judicial action against key ruling figures of the former government and delivering accountability for Assad-era crimes.
Protection of minority communities
Critics of the new government
Al-Sharaa has been criticised for not doing enough to control post-Assad ethnic violence against Shia Alawites, Druze and Kurds, and the interim constitution's failure to guarantee Kurdish rights is seen as a betrayal.
Supporters of transitional justice
Al-Sharaa presents himself as a leader focused on rebuilding Syria, established the NCTJ and the Commission for Missing Persons, and is seeking international legitimacy and US support.
- Court
- Fourth Criminal Court, Damascus
- Verdict
- Death sentences for Bashar al-Assad, Maher al-Assad and Atef Najib
- Charges
- Premeditated murder, torture, crimes against humanity; Atef Najib also convicted of intentional killing of children under 15 and torture leading to death
- Conflict
- 14-year Syrian civil war that left about half a million people dead
- Whereabouts
- Bashar al-Assad and Maher in exile in Russia; Atef Najib detained and tried in person
- Judge
- Fakhareddine al-Aryan
- Fall of Damascus
- December 2024, after Hay'et Tahrir al-Sham's lightning offensive
