A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced ousted president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, convicting him of crimes including murder, torture, arbitrary arrest and crimes against humanity committed during the country’s nearly 14-year conflict.
The ruling marks the first conviction of Assad since he was overthrown in December 2024, when a rebel offensive brought an end to decades of rule by his family.
Assad fled Damascus as opposition forces advanced on the capital and has since been living in Moscow.
During Tuesday’s trial of former government officials, the court convicted Assad of offences including the premeditated and intentional killing of multiple people, including children, torture and arbitrary detention, as well as crimes against humanity.
Former security official Atef Najib, who served under Assad’s government, was also sentenced to death.
Syria’s civil war, which began in 2011 following the government’s violent suppression of anti-government protests, killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions before Assad’s government collapsed in late 2024.
The sentence was handed down in Assad’s absence, and he remains outside Syria.