A Syrian court has sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad to death for crimes including murder and crimes against humanity after his authoritarian government collapsed in 2024.
On 12 August 2026 GMT+7, Syrian state news reported that a court in Damascus sentenced former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to death on multiple charges, including murder and crimes against humanity. The verdict detailed that as the country's supreme decision-maker, Assad played a key role in ordering violent crackdowns on anti-government protesters after the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011 and lasted over 13 years until his regime fell in December 2024.
However, Assad did not attend the trial as he fled Syria for Russia immediately after his government collapsed, leading the court proceedings to continue without the defendant present. It remains uncertain whether Russia will extradite Assad to Syria to serve the sentence.
In addition to Assad, the court sentenced eight other defendants to death, including his brother and former senior officials from the previous government.
Following the regime change, Syria has begun pursuing legal action against individuals linked to the former government while attempting to rebuild and establish a new political system.
Source: Aljazeera