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Syrian court sentences ousted president Assad to death
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…
The Story in Brief
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.
The Indian Opinion
Some Western outlets may frame this trial as a show of justice by the new Damascus government, but ordinary Syrians know better, a death sentence in absentia carries no weight while Assad enjoys Kremlin protection. Others, often sympathetic to Moscow, may dismiss it as victor’s revenge rather than accountability. The real test is not the verdict: it is whether Russia will ever extradite him, or whether this ruling simply hardens his Moscow exile.
Sources (2): thehindu.com, ndtv.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
