Daijiworld Media Network - Damascus
Damascus, Aug 11: A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad and his cousin, former Deraa political security chief Atef Najib, to death over crimes committed during the country’s civil war, in a landmark case aimed at holding senior figures of the former regime accountable.
The Fourth Criminal Court at the Justice Palace in Damascus convicted Assad of crimes against humanity and imposed the death penalty. Najib, who was present in court, was also sentenced to death after being convicted over killings and torture linked to the violent suppression of protests in Deraa in 2011.
The court proceedings form part of Syria’s post-Assad transitional justice process and represent one of the most significant attempts to prosecute senior officials of the former government. Najib’s trial began on Apr 26 and was the first public trial of a senior Assad-era official in Syria.
Najib, a cousin of Bashar al-Assad, headed the Political Security Branch in Deraa when anti-government protests erupted there in March 2011. His security forces were accused of violently suppressing demonstrations, an episode widely regarded as a key trigger for the wider Syrian uprising and the civil war that followed.
The charges against Najib included murder, torture and arbitrary detention, as well as alleged responsibility for the suppression of peaceful protests using live ammunition. Prosecutors and civil plaintiffs also accused him and other former regime officials of systematic killings and torture of detainees.
The prosecution had sought the maximum punishment for the defendants, while civil plaintiffs asked the court to convict them of crimes against humanity and war crimes, including systematic torture, deprivation of liberty and intentional killings. They also sought compensation for victims and their families.
The case also includes former Syrian military and security officials who remain at large. Prosecutors had named Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad and other former officials in the proceedings. Bashar and Maher were tried in absentia after remaining outside Syria following the fall of the Assad government.
Najib was arrested in rural Latakia in January 2025 after Syrian security forces reportedly tracked him while he was attempting to evade capture. He had been regarded as one of the senior figures responsible for the crackdown in Deraa.
The court’s action comes after months of hearings in which prosecutors, victims and defence lawyers presented their cases. At the Aug 4 hearing, the court referred Najib’s case for deliberation and scheduled Aug 11 for the verdict. The prosecution argued that the evidence against the defendants was consistent and interconnected.
The verdict marks a major development in Syria’s efforts to address alleged abuses committed during the 14-year conflict. The Syrian civil war resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and displaced millions of people.
The sentencing is also likely to intensify debate over transitional justice in Syria, including questions over accountability for other former regime officials and alleged abuses committed by other armed groups during the conflict. The Najib proceedings have been closely watched internationally as a test of Syria’s ability to prosecute senior figures through its domestic courts.
Note: Your original copy mentioned only Bashar al-Assad and Atef Najib. Current reporting from the Associated Press also says Maher al-Assad was sentenced to death in absentia in the same broader case.