A Syrian court has sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia over crimes committed during the country’s nearly 14-year civil war.
The ruling was delivered by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, marking the first conviction against Assad since his government was toppled in December 2024.
According to reports, the court found Assad guilty of premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary arrest and crimes against humanity, including the killing of children. His younger brother, Maher al-Assad, and former Syrian security official Atef Najib were also sentenced to death in connection with crimes committed during the conflict.
Assad was not present during the proceedings. He fled Syria in December 2024 following a rebel offensive that brought his family’s decades-long rule to an end and subsequently went to Russia, where he was granted asylum.
Bashar al-Assad became president in 2000 after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled Syria for nearly three decades.
His government faced widespread pro-democracy protests in 2011. The government’s violent response contributed to the escalation of the unrest into a prolonged civil war involving numerous armed groups and foreign powers.
The conflict resulted in an estimated hundreds of thousands of deaths and widespread allegations of killings, torture, arbitrary detention and other serious human rights violations.
The death sentence represents a significant development in Syria’s efforts to hold senior figures from the former regime accountable for alleged abuses committed during the conflict.
However, because Assad remains outside Syria, the immediate enforcement of the sentence remains uncertain.
