Syria Sentences Bashar Al-Assad to Death in Absentia Over Atrocities
A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced former ruler Bashar al-Assad to death after a trial in absentia, convicting him of atrocities committed during the country's nearly 14-year civil war.
It is the first such ruling under Syria's transitional leaders who ousted Assad in December 2024, vowing to provide justice and accountability for crimes committed under his rule.
Assad fled to Moscow as opposition forces closed in on Damascus after a lightning offensive.
At a court in Damascus, Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan convicted Assad for crimes including "premeditated murder, the intentional killing of more than one person, the intentional killing of children under 15 years... torture, torture leading to death, and deprivation of liberty on multiple occasions -- classified as crimes against humanity and war crimes".
Syria in April began proceedings against Assad and other officials accused in person and in absentia of atrocities during the country's civil war, which erupted with the former authorities' brutal repression of peaceful pro-democracy protesters.
More than half a million people were killed and millions displaced, while tens of thousands of people disappeared, many into the country's brutal prison system.
The court also sentenced six former military and security officials in absentia to death including Assad's brother Maher, who ran the army's elite Fourth Division and also fled the country.
Those convicted included former defense minister Fahd al-Freij and Louay al-Ali, who headed military intelligence in Daraa province in 2011.
The court convicted the officials for crimes including murder, incitement to murder, torture leading to death and repeated deprivation of liberty, also considered "crimes against humanity" and "war crimes".
Former security official Atif Najib -- the only one in the dock -- was also sentenced to death for "crimes against humanity" committed when he was head of political security in Daraa province, the cradle of the country's 2011 uprising.
Najib, a cousin of Assad who was arrested in January last year, was convicted for crimes including murder, "the intentional killing of children under 15", and "torture leading to death".
The acts attributed to him are "crimes against humanity", the court said as it handed down "the harshest punishment against him, which is the death penalty".
Syria's uprising began in Daraa in March 2011, after 15 students were arrested for allegedly writing anti-government slogans on the city's walls.
Residents said the students were tortured, leading to a protest to demand their release that ended in bloodshed.
Security personnel suppressed peaceful demonstrations with force and fired live ammunition to disperse sit-ins at several locations.
Najib was dismissed after the crackdown, as the protests spread to other provinces.
Aryan said Najib had denied the charges against him and showed "no remorse".
Some of Najib's victims were present at the courthouse, including two who were teenagers in 2011 and expressed their opinions to The Associated Press.
“Today we reached a point where the blood was not wasted,” said Mouawiya Sayasneh, about those who died in the crackdown. Fifteen years later, “there is happiness that Atef Najib was sentenced to death,” he said.
Another man, Nayef Abazeid, who was detained at the age of 13 in 2011, expressed his satisfaction with the sentence, adding that “our biggest happiness will be when Bashar Assad is executed.”
Assad took the Syrian presidency in 2000 after the death of his father Hafez.
Attention Shifts to Lebanon’s Iqlim al-Tuffah amid Israeli Military Moves
Military operations have escalated over the past few hours amid Israeli discussions regarding a transition to a "new phase" of occupation in southern Lebanon. Attack helicopters and tanks have been redeployed alongside airstrikes, artillery fire, and heavy weaponry sweeps.
Amid ongoing airstrikes, demolition operations, and movements on the ground, a critical question is being raised in Lebanon: Is the Israeli escalation limited to intensifying military pressure, or is it paving the way for a shift in the nature of operations and occupation in the South?
While the new date for the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations has not yet been set, the head of the Lebanese negotiating delegation, Simon Karam, is expected to visit the Vatican, where he will meet with Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Foreign Minister Paul Richard Gallagher to discuss the negotiation file and the role the Vatican could play in supporting this path, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun was in Rome recently where he discussed the negotiations.
On the ground, Israeli attacks continued in the South on Sunday where an Apache helicopter struck a commercial center on the Shokin-Mayfadoun road in the Nabatieh region, while heavy machine-gun sweeps targeted the towns of Beit Yahoun, Serbine, and Wadi Zibqeen.
An ambulance crew survived an airstrike that targeted a building while personnel were in the area conducting a field inspection following a previous raid, resulting in damage to shops and residential apartments in the targeted building.
An Israeli Merkava tank also targeted the town of Hadatha with four shells, before Israeli forces advanced toward a center in the town and set fire to the location. The Israeli army also demolished a number of houses in the town of al-Mansouri on Sunday.
The Israeli army announced that it attacked Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, stating that the strikes came in response to the launch of an explosive-laden drone toward its forces during the past night.
Retired general and military expert Hassan Jouni said the recent Israeli operations could either be part of routine maneuvers or aimed at finalizing operations in the al-Mansouri area.
