A Syrian court on Tuesday sentenced ousted President Bashar Assad to death in absentia over crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Syriaโs 14-year conflict, which is estimated to have claimed around half a million lives.
Assadโs younger brother, Maher Assad, was also sentenced to death in the same case. The court additionally handed down a death sentence to Atef Najib, Assadโs maternal cousin, for his alleged role in leading a violent crackdown in the southern province of Daraa that helped trigger the 2011 uprising and ultimately contributed to the outbreak of Syriaโs civil war.
The verdict was delivered amid tight security. Najib, who was present in court, stood inside a cage wearing a prison uniform as the judge read out the sentence.
Bashar Assad and his brother Maher fled Syria and went to Russia after rebel forces entered Damascus in December 2014, bringing an end to Assadโs long rule. Both were tried in absentia in the Syrian proceedings.
Najib was later arrested by Syrian authorities and became one of the most senior former Assad-era officials to face trial over alleged abuses committed during the conflict.
Najib, a former Syrian Army brigadier general, headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa province in southern Syria in 2011. He has been accused of overseeing the crackdown on protesters in the region during the early stages of the uprising.
The events in Daraa, where protests erupted in March 2011, marked a major turning point in Syriaโs modern history. The governmentโs violent response to the demonstrations fuelled unrest across the country, which eventually escalated into a prolonged civil war involving government forces, opposition groups, extremist organisations and foreign powers.
The conflict resulted in widespread destruction and a massive humanitarian crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people killed and millions displaced both inside Syria and abroad.
The death sentences against Assad, Maher and Najib mark a significant judicial development in efforts to hold senior figures from the former Syrian government accountable for alleged atrocities committed during the conflict.
With inputs from AP
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