Damascus Court Sentences Bashar al-Assad to Death in Absentia for Crimes Against Humanity

A Damascus court sentenced ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher to death in absentia on August 11, 2026, for crimes against humanity tied to the 2011 crackdown on protesters in Deraa province. Former security official Atef Najib, in custody, received the same sentence. Bashar al-Assad lives in exile in Moscow; the in-absentia rulings carry limited enforceability. The court's determination that Deraa crimes amounted to crimes against humanity marks a first by a Syrian national court against a former head of state.