damascus. A Syrian court has sentenced the country's ousted President Bashar al-Assad and his brother to death. The sentence was handed down in absentia after finding both of them guilty of war crimes. These crimes are alleged to have been committed during the 14-year conflict in Syria, in which nearly half a million people lost their lives.
In the same case, Atif Najeeb, son of Assad's maternal uncle, was also sentenced to death. Najib was accused of leading the government crackdown in the southern province of Daraa, which started a rebellion that later turned into civil war. Amid tight security, Najib stood inside a cage in the court, dressed in prison uniform, where the judge pronounced the sentence.
Assad and his brother Maher fled to Russia after rebels entered Damascus in December 2024. Najib was later arrested and became one of the most senior officials to be prosecuted. Najib is a former brigadier general of the Syrian army. He was the head of the political security branch in Daraa province in southern Syria during the Assad regime in 2011.
Syria was ruled by the Assad family for 50 years. Hafez al-Assad and then his son Bashar al-Assad held power in Syria for a long time. During the 'Arab Spring', an uprising broke out in Syria in 2011 against the government of Bashar al-Assad and his perceived repressive regime. Which turned into a terrible civil war that lasted for 13 years. According to the 'Syrian Observatory of Human Rights', more than half a million people were killed in this civil war. Now Bashar al-Assad and his brother have been sentenced to death for this war crime.
Bashar al-Assad's government was supported by Russia and that is why after the overthrow, Bashar al-Assad and his family took refuge in Russia. In December 2024, current President Ahmed Al Shaara took over power in Syria after Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power. Ahmed Al Shara has the support of the US government. It is noteworthy that America itself had once declared Ahmed Al Shara a global terrorist and had placed a reward of 10 million dollars on his arrest. However, after taking power in Syria, America withdrew this announcement and also strengthened relations with Syria.