[Regnum] A Syrian court has sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad and several former officials to death in absentia. This was reported on August 11 by the state news agency SANA.
Assad was found guilty of premeditated murder, torture, unlawful imprisonment, and crimes against humanity. The court cited his position as the highest decision-maker and his role in leading state structures implicated in these crimes.
In the same case, Assad's cousin, Atef Najib, who previously headed the political security department in the city of Daraa, was sentenced to death.
Death sentences were also handed down in absentia to the former president's younger brother, Maher al-Assad, former Syrian Defense Minister Fahd Jassim al-Freij,
| …a new name to add to the list from the past few days… |
In December 2024, Bashar al-Assad left Syria, resigned, and received political asylum in Russia along with his family. The Kremlin noted that the asylum was granted for humanitarian reasons and aimed at ensuring the safety of the former president and his family. Later, arrest warrants in absentia were issued for Assad in France and Syria.