Damascus court sentences Assad to death in absentia for war crimes

A criminal court in Damascus on Tuesday found former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, his younger brother Maher and their cousin Najib guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during 14 years of conflict in the country. According to the Associated Press, Syria's war has claimed the lives of roughly half a million people.

The court also ruled that the Assad government's actions in Daraa province in 2011 amounted to crimes against humanity — it was there that Najib, a general in the Syrian army, headed the political security branch at the time.

Verdict and flight to Russia

Assad and his brother Maher fled to Russia in December 2024 as rebel forces entered Damascus. Najib, however, heard the verdict in person — in the Syrian capital, dressed in prison garb and held in a cage inside the courtroom. According to AP, he is one of the most senior Syrian officials to have stood trial in the country.

Life in Moscow

The 60-year-old Assad now lives with his family in Moscow, where he owns a luxury apartment but rarely leaves it. According to the Israeli outlet Ynet, his neighbour is none other than Viktor Yanukovych, Ukraine's former pro-Russian president. Assad is reportedly trying to learn Russian, though without much success so far.

His wife Asma, who has battled cancer, and their three children have been spotted at upscale Moscow shops. The family has also travelled to the United Arab Emirates, though it was denied asylum there for security reasons.

A clan in power for nearly half a century

The Assad family ruled Syria from 1970, when the Soviet-aligned Baath party, led by Bashar and Maher's father Hafez al-Assad, seized power. Trained as an ophthalmologist — including a stint in London — Bashar al-Assad took the presidency in 2000 after his father's death.

He initially promised political reforms, but his regime grew even more brutal than his father's over time. In 2011, authorities ruthlessly crushed anti-government protests, dragging the country into a prolonged civil war and leading to the imprisonment of thousands of regime opponents.

Assad managed to cling to power as long as he enjoyed Moscow's military backing. That support waned after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and in December 2024 rebel forces toppled his regime. Syria's interim president is now Ahmed al-Sharaa, previously known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz