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Syrian Court Sentences Ousted President Bashar al-Assad to Death in Absentia

evening · · thread: Syrian Court Sentences Ousted President Bashar al-Assad to Death in Absentia

30 sources across 20 countries · 1 of them is linked to a state

Who reported this

  • The Guardian United Kingdom · Centre-left · Scott Trust Limited
  • BBC News United Kingdom · Centre · Public · Licence fee, royal charter
  • Financial Times United Kingdom · Centre · Nikkei Inc.
  • Reuters United Kingdom · Centre · Thomson Reuters Corporation
  • Haaretz Israel · Left · Schocken family and M. DuMont Schauberg
  • The Times of Israel Israel · Centre · Seth Klarman (majority backer)
  • The Jerusalem Post Israel · Centre-right · Mirkaei Tikshoret (Eli Azur)
  • MS NOW United States · Left · Versant (spun off from NBCUniversal)
  • CNN United States · Centre-left · Warner Bros. Discovery
  • Al-Monitor United States · Centre · Jamal Daniel
  • Le Monde France · Centre-left · Fonds pour l'independance de la presse
  • France 24 France · Centre · Public · France Medias Monde (French state holding)
  • ANSA Italy · Centre · Publisher cooperative
  • Corriere della Sera Italy · Centre-right · RCS MediaGroup (Cairo Communication)
  • Daily Maverick South Africa · Centre-left · Reader-funded
  • Business Day South Africa · Centre-right · Arena Holdings (Lebashe Investment Group)
  • Folha de S.Paulo Brazil · Centre · Grupo Folha (Frias family)
  • La Tercera Chile · Centre-right · Copesa (Saieh family)
  • Deutsche Welle Germany · Centre · Public · German federal public-law corporation
  • South China Morning Post Hong Kong · Centre-right · Alibaba Group
  • Telex Hungary · Centre · Reader-funded, staff-owned
  • The Indian Express India · Centre · Indian Express Group (Goenka family)
  • Tempo English Indonesia · Centre-left · PT Tempo Inti Media
  • Novaya Gazeta Europe Latvia · Centre-left · Crowdfunded; exiled Russian newsroom
  • NRC Netherlands · Centre · Mediahuis
  • Premium Times Nigeria · Centre · Premium Times Services Ltd
  • Aftenposten Norway · Centre-right · Schibsted, Tinius Trust foundation
  • Dawn Pakistan · Centre-left · Pakistan Herald Publications (Haroon family)
  • Al Jazeera Qatar · Centre-left · State-affiliated · Qatari government funded
  • El Pais Spain · Centre-left · Grupo PRISA

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

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Political lean is comparable inside one country and not across them, which is why the bar groups by country first. Publicly funded broadcasters are not marked as state-linked.

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A Syrian court in Damascus has sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia. The court convicted the former leader of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including premeditated murder of multiple people and children, torture, and arbitrary arrest. This ruling marks the first conviction against Assad since he and his family fled to Moscow in December 2024, following a rapid offensive by rebel forces led by current president Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Several other former officials also received death sentences. Bashar al-Assad's younger brother, Maher, who commanded the elite Fourth Division, was sentenced to death in absentia for premeditated murder and torture. In a rare instance of a high ranking official being tried in person, Bashar's cousin and former head of political security in Deraa province, Atef Najib, was sentenced to death while appearing in court inside a cage. Najib was convicted of overseeing the torture and killing of detainees, including children, during the 2011 crackdown in Deraa that helped spark the Syrian civil war. Other convicted officials include former defense minister Fahd al-Freij and several high ranking military commanders.

Bashar al-Assad assumed power in 2000 after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, ending a family dynasty that ruled Syria for over five decades. His presidency was defined by a brutal civil war that began during the 2011 Arab Spring and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. While the new transitional authorities have expressed a commitment to justice, it remains unclear if Russia will extradite the Assad brothers. Some reports indicate that Bashar al-Assad is living in isolation in Moscow, while others note that members of the former regime continue to live luxuriously in Russia and the United Arab Emirates.

Following the verdict, crowds gathered outside the courthouse to celebrate with flags and photos of loved ones killed by the regime. However, the country continues to face instability. Some reports highlight that sectarian violence has persisted in the post Assad era, including attacks against Alawite civilians and violence in the Druze majority province of Suweida.

How each side framed it

Left
These outlets focused on the convictions for torture and arbitrary arrest during the long conflict.
Centre-left
These outlets emphasized the role of transitional justice and the humanitarian impact of the regime's crimes.
Centre
These outlets focused on the legal proceedings and the historical context of the Assad family's rule.
Centre-right
These outlets highlighted the role of Islamist and rebel forces in the overthrow of the regime.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.