A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced ousted President Bashar Assad and his younger brother, Maher Assad, to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country’s nearly 14-year civil war.

The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus also sentenced Atef Najib, a former security chief in the southern province of Daraa and Bashar Assad’s maternal cousin, to death. Najib was present in court when the verdict was delivered, while the Assad brothers were tried in absentia.

The ruling marks the first conviction of Bashar Assad since his government was toppled in December 2024, ending more than five decades of rule by the Assad family. Bashar Assad fled Syria after the fall of his government and has been living in Moscow. Syria’s new authorities have called for his return to face justice.

The court convicted Bashar Assad of premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity, including the killing of children.

Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan said during a televised session that Assad had used state institutions to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Maher Assad, who previously commanded Syria’s elite 4th Armored Division, was also sentenced to death in absentia. The division was accused during the war of carrying out some of the Syrian government’s most serious abuses.

The court also sentenced six other former officials to death. They were identified as Fahd Jassem al-Freij, Mohammad Ayman Ayoush, Louay Ali al-Ali, Qusay Ibrahim Mahyoub, Wafiq Saleh Nasser and Talal Fares al-Aysami.

Atef Najib, cousin of Bashar Assad

The ruling against Najib is particularly significant because he is the only defendant in the case who appeared in court in person.

Najib headed the Political Security Directorate in Daraa when protests broke out there in March 2011. The crackdown that followed became one of the defining early episodes of the uprising that eventually developed into a nationwide conflict.

The court convicted Najib of crimes against humanity for his role in the security crackdown in Daraa. He had been accused of overseeing the arrests, torture and killings of protesters and civilians during the early months of the uprising.

Najib's name has also been closely associated with the detention and abuse of children in Daraa during the early days of the uprising. The case against him, however, went beyond that episode and included allegations of killing, torture, arbitrary detention and suppression of protests.

His trial began April 26 at the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus and was the first public trial of a senior official from the former Assad government since its fall. The proceedings continued through several hearings, during which the court heard witnesses and examined evidence concerning the crackdown in Daraa.

On Aug. 4, prosecutors requested the death penalty for Najib and the other defendants. The court then adjourned to review the case before setting Tuesday as the date for the verdict.

A broader accountability effort

The trial is part of an emerging effort by Syria’s new authorities to prosecute officials accused of abuses committed during Assad’s rule.

The conflict began after security forces violently suppressed largely peaceful protests in 2011 and developed into a complex war involving the Syrian government, armed opposition groups, extremist organizations and foreign powers. The fighting killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions, according to estimates cited by international organizations and news agencies.

The proceedings have been closely watched by victims’ families and rights groups, who have called for accountability for killings, torture, arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances.

For Daraa, the verdict against Najib carries particular significance. The province was the birthplace of the 2011 uprising, after security forces detained a group of children accused of writing anti-government slogans. The subsequent crackdown helped fuel protests that spread across the country.

The verdict against Bashar Assad represents a major step in the domestic judicial process against the former leadership. But because he and Maher Assad remain outside Syria, the practical enforcement of their death sentences remains uncertain.

Syria’s new authorities face the broader challenge of addressing the legacy of the Assad era while establishing a judicial process capable of prosecuting those accused of serious abuses and providing accountability for victims and their families.