Syrian Court Sentences Former Leader Assad to Death

A court in Syria sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher, and former security official Atef Najib to death on August 11, 2026. They were convicted of crimes against humanity — severe harms deliberately inflicted on civilians — for the 2011 crackdown on protesters in Deraa province. Assad lives in Moscow, so the sentence cannot easily be enforced. A Syrian court had never before made such a ruling against a former leader.