Syrian Former President Bashar al-Assad Sentenced to Death
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- A Syrian court has sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad to death, finding him guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
- The court also sentenced Assad’s relative and former security chief Atef Najib to death for charges including the killing and torture of children.
- The civil war, which began with anti-government protests in Daraa in 2011, resulted in the deaths of millions of people.
August 12, Kathmandu – A Syrian court has sentenced former ousted President Bashar al-Assad to death after finding him guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
In December 2024, Assad fled Damascus along with his family to Moscow after his regime was overthrown, marking the end of his family’s five-decade rule.
In the same case, the court also handed a death sentence to Assad’s relative and former head of political security in southern Syria’s Daraa province, Atef Najib. The judge delivered the verdict while Najib was confined inside a cage within the courtroom.
Daraa is recognized as the city where the rebellion against Assad’s regime began.
In March 2011, protests erupted in Daraa following the arrest and torture of several teenagers accused of writing anti-government graffiti. The security forces responded to the demonstrations with violent repression.
The crackdown further inflamed nationwide protests, eventually leading to a civil war that claimed millions of lives.
Since early this year, Syria’s interim government has initiated legal proceedings against officials associated with the Assad regime which has ruled Syria for over five decades.
Atef Najib is among the high-ranking officials prosecuted in these cases.
He has been found guilty of crimes including the deliberate killing of children under five years old and inflicting fatal torture.