A Syrian court sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia on Tuesday for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during the country's 14-year conflict, which killed about half a million people.
The Damascus court also sentenced Assad's younger brother Maher and former security official Atef Najib to death on charges of murder, torture and incitement to murder. Najib was tried in person, while Bashar and Maher were tried in absentia.
The court convicted Assad of premeditated murder of multiple people, including children, as well as torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity.
The ruling is the first issued under Syria's transitional authorities, which began prosecuting figures from the former government this year, both in person and in absentia. Assad fled to Moscow with his family in December 2024 as armed opposition forces closed in on Damascus.