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DAMASCUS, Syria \u2014 A Syrian court sentenced ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad along with his younger brother to death in absentia on Tuesday for crimes against humanity and war crimes during Syria's 14-year conflict that left about half a million people dead.The sentences at the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus are the first against al-Assad or members of his inner circle since the Assad family's five decades in power came to an end 20 months ago. Atef Najib, former head of the Political Security Branch in the Daraa area during Bashar Assad's rule, sits in the defendants' cage during a trial session at the Palace of Justice in Damascus, Syria, April 26, 2026. (Photo: Ghaith Alsayed, Associated Press) "Bashar (al-)Assad used state agencies to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity," said judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan during a court session that was aired live on state TV.Also sentenced to death was al-Assad's maternal cousin Atef Najib, who was convicted of overseeing a crackdown in the southern province of Daraa that led to the uprising and later the civil war. Al-Aryan said Najib can appeal.Under tight security, Najib stood inside a cage wearing a prisoner's uniform as the judge read the sentence. A crowd gathered outside the courthouse in central Damascus to hear the verdict."Today is the day of justice for all the wounded, martyrs, detainees and Syrians who were forced to leave their country," said attorney Adnan al-Masalmeh, who represented families of Najib's victims. "Today marks a victory of right against injustice, a victory of the Syrian people against the ousted regime."Al-Assad and his brother Maher fled to Russia after the government's fall in December 2024 and received political asylum. Syria's new rulers have asked Russia to hand the al-Assads over.Najib, who was sanctioned by the Department of the Treasury in April 2011, was later detained and is one of the highest-ranking security officials to be put on trial.Najib is a former army brigadier general who was head of the Political Security Branch in Syria's southern Daraa province under Assad in 2011.During his tenure, more than a dozen teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a school wall in Daraa were arrested and tortured. The case became a catalyst for mass protests against the repressive policies of al-Assad's security forces.The protests were met by a brutal government crackdown that spiraled into a 14-year civil war that end
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