Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad and their cousin, Atef Najib, have been sentenced to death by the Damascus Criminal Court after being found guilty of crimes committed during the nearly 14-year war in Syria.
According to foreign media, Bashar al-Assad was found guilty of premeditated murder, torture and crimes against humanity. The verdict against him was given in absentia, as the former president is outside Syria.
Assad, who ruled Syria for more than two decades, fled the country in December 2024, after Islamist-led rebels advanced on the capital, Damascus, and took control of the country.
After Assad's ouster from power, the new Syrian leadership has tried to build a more moderate image and present itself as an administration that respects human rights.
