Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Ex-Syrian President Bashar Assad sentenced to death for crimes against humanity

A Syrian court sentenced Mr Assad alongside his younger brother, Al-Assad Maher, to death on Tuesday for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

• August 11, 2026
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad(Credit: BBC)

Former Syrian President Bashar Assad has been sentenced to death for crimes against humanity.

A Syrian court sentenced Mr Assad alongside his younger brother,  Al-Assad Maher, to death on Tuesday for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The duo were sentenced in absentia for their roles in Syria’s conflict that lasted 14 years and led to the death of half a million people, two years after they fled the country for Russia.  

Atef Najib, a cousin of Mr Assad, was also sentenced for championing the crackdown in the southern province of Daraa that sparked the uprising, followed by the civil war.

Mr Najib, who was a former Syrian army brigadier general, headed the Political Security Branch in southern Syria’s Daraa province under Assad in 2011.

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