Syria sentences Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia for war crimes

The court convicted Assad of premeditated murder of multiple victims, including children, torture, arbitrary detention, and crimes against humanity, and sentenced him to death in absentia.

11 Aug 2026 05:36pm
A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken, at a Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of Hama following the capture of the area by anti-government forces on December 7, 2024. A Syrian court sentenced former ruler Bashar al-Assad in absentia to death on August 11, 2026, accusing him of "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity" after the outbreak of the country's civil war in 2011. The ruling is the first under the transitional authorities who this year began trying figures from the former government, both in person and in absentia. AFP photo
A portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is pictured with its frame broken, at a Political Security Branch facility on the outskirts of Hama following the capture of the area by anti-government forces on December 7, 2024. A Syrian court sentenced former ruler Bashar al-Assad in absentia to death on August 11, 2026, accusing him of "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity" after the outbreak of the country's civil war in 2011. The ruling is the first under the transitional authorities who this year began trying figures from the former government, both in person and in absentia. AFP photo

ISTANBUL - A criminal court in Damascus on Tuesday sentenced former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia after convicting him of premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention, and crimes against humanity.

Judge Al-Aryan of the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus said witness testimony established Assad’s role in the crimes as "the highest decision-maker,” and that he had used state institutions to facilitate their commission.

The court convicted Assad of premeditated murder of multiple victims, including children, torture, arbitrary detention, and crimes against humanity, and sentenced him to death in absentia. - BERNAMA

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