A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced former ruler Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, after convicting him over charges of "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity" during the country's civil war, AFP reported. The ruling against Assad, who fled with his family to Moscow as opposition-led forces closed in on Damascus in December 2024, is the first under the transitional authorities who this year began trying figures from the former government, both in person and in absentia.
