Foreign Relations

Syrian Court Sentences Bashar and Maher Assad to Death in Absentia

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Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of three judges seated behind a dark wood bench before a crowded Damascus courtroom, with Syrian flags and a screen showing a defendant in custody.

A Damascus court sentenced ousted Syrian president Bashar Assad and his brother Maher to death in absentia Tuesday for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Syria's 14-year civil war. The court also sentenced Assad's cousin Atef Najib, who appeared in custody and may appeal, over the 2011 Daraa crackdown that helped ignite the uprising. The rulings are the first death sentences against Assad or members of his inner circle since the family's five decades in power ended. Bashar and Maher Assad fled to Russia after the regime collapsed in December 2024, and Syria's new authorities have requested their extradition.

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