Archive · 16 Aug 2026
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.
Bashar al-Assad trained as an ophthalmologist in Damascus and London before entering politics after his elder brother Basil's death in 1994.
He became Syria's president in 2000 following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, after a brief reform period known as the Damascus Spring was closed down.
Anti-government protests in 2011, inspired by the Arab Spring, turned into a devastating civil war that lasted for years.
Damascus fell to rebel forces on December 8, 2024, and Assad fled with his family to Moscow, ending over five decades of Assad family rule.
In August 2026, a Syrian court sentenced Assad to death in absentia after finding him guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- Who
- Bashar al-Assad, former president of Syria.
- What
- A Syrian court sentenced Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- When
- August 2026, following the collapse of his regime in December 2024.
- Where
- Syria, where the court issued the sentence; Assad now lives in exile in Moscow.
- Why
- He was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during his rule.
Opponents' view
Assad's view
Nature of the war
Opponents' view
Assad's forces systematically crushed peaceful dissent, turning protests into a full-scale civil war.
Assad's view
Assad maintained Syria faced an externally backed conspiracy and that his government was fighting armed extremists.
- Born
- September 11, 1965, in Damascus, Syria
- Previous role
- Ophthalmologist, trained in Damascus and London
- Presidency
- Took office in July 2000, ruling for 24 years
- Regime collapse
- Damascus fell on December 8, 2024
- Exile
- Fled with his family to Moscow
- Sentence
- Death in absentia in August 2026
- Key ally
- Russia intervened directly in 2015, helping turn the war in his favour