Former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was sentenced to death on Tuesday after a court convicted him of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Assad, who fled to Moscow with his wife Asma and their children after his government was ousted in December 2024, was tried in absentia in Damascus. Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan convicted Assad of crimes including premeditated murder, the killing of children under 15, torture leading to death, and unlawful imprisonment committed during the country’s nearly 14-year civil war. Six former military and security officials were also sentenced to death in absentia, including Assad’s brother Maher, who commanded the Army’s Fourth Division, and former Defense Minister Fahd al-Freij. Former security official Atif Najib, Assad’s cousin, was the only defendant present in court. He was also sentenced to death over his role in the violent crackdown on protesters in Daraa in 2011. Syria’s civil war began after security forces brutally suppressed pro-democracy demonstrations. More than half a million people were killed, millions were displaced, and tens of thousands disappeared during the conflict.
Read it at News.com.au
