A Syrian court has sentenced ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, after convicting him of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country’s civil war.

Assad fled from Damascus to Moscow with his family after his regime was overthrown in December 2024, ending his family’s five-decade grip on power.

In the same case, the court also sentenced to death Atef Najib, Assad’s cousin and the former head of political security in southern Syria’s Deraa province. He appeared inside a cage in the courtroom as the judge read out his sentence.

Deraa is widely seen as the birthplace of the uprising against Assad’s rule.

In March 2011, the detention and alleged torture of a group of teenagers accused of writing anti-government graffiti sparked protests in the city, which were met with a violent crackdown by security forces.

That response helped ignite nationwide demonstrations that escalated into civil war in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed.

Syria’s interim government began trying officials associated with the Assad regime, which ruled the country for more than 50 years, earlier this year.

Najib is one of the highest-ranking officials to be put on trial.

He was convicted of crimes including murder, “the intentional killing of children under 15” and “torture leading to death”.

It remains unclear whether Syria’s new authorities will be able to secure Assad’s extradition from Moscow.

This is not the first move against Assad by Syria’s new leadership.

An arrest warrant was issued against him last December on charges of murder and torture.

He left for Russia as forces under Ahmed al-Sharaa – now Syria’s president – swept to power in a rapid, 11-day campaign that brought down the Assad dynasty.

Since then, the new government has detained numerous former officials and security personnel, though most senior figures from the old regime, including Assad himself, remain out of reach in Russia.

Attempts by Syrian opposition figures to pursue Assad through courts in Western countries during the final years of his rule did not lead to any convictions.