Bashar al-Assad: From London-trained doctor to Syria's fallen dictator

Bashar al-Assad was a doctor who cared for people's eyes and never expected to be a leader.

When his older brother died in a car accident in 1994, his father chose him to take over Syria one day.

After his father died in 2000, he became president and people hoped he would bring change.

But instead of sharing power, he kept a tight grip on the country and stopped the brief period of open discussion known as the Damascus Spring.

When peaceful protests started in 2011, his security forces answered with force, and the country fell into a long and terrible war.

He stayed in power for years, helped by Russia and Iran.

In December 2024, rebels took over the capital, Damascus, and Assad fled to Moscow.

In August 2026, a court in Syria sentenced him to death for the terrible war crimes committed during his rule.

Because he is far away, he was not there to hear the sentence.