# Syrian court sentences ousted president Assad to death

2026-08-13T01:40:46+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced ousted president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, convicting him of premeditated murder of children, torture, arbitrary arrest, and crimes against humanity during the country's nearly 14-year civil war. The verdict, first against Assad since his ouster in a December 2024 rebel offensive, also condemned security official Atef Najib and, according to NDTV, his brother Maher al-Assad. Assad fled to Moscow as rebels approached Damascus nearly two years ago and remains there. The trial covered crimes committed before and during Syria's war, which began in 2011 when democratic protests were met with deadly force. Assad, who inherited power from his father Hafez in 2000, maintained Iran-aligned rule over the Sunni-majority country before his fall ended decades of family domination.

## Coverage

- thehindu.com <https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/syria-sentences-former-president-bashar-al-assad-to-death-over-killings-torture/article71331876.ece>
- ndtv.com <https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/bashar-al-assad-syria-damascus-vladimir-putin-al-assad-faces-gallows-in-damascus-in-russia-he-remains-a-protected-guest-11902426>

Tags: Bashar al-Assad, death sentence, Moscow, Syria, trial in absentia, war crimes
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