A criminal court in Damascus has sentenced former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and former Daraa political security chief Atef Najib to death. The ruling, issued Tuesday, found Bashar al-Assad guilty of premeditated killings involving multiple people, including children, as well as torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity.

Najib faces accusations of murder, torture, arbitrary detention, participation in suppressing peaceful protests through the use of gunfire, and systematic killings and torture inside detention centres. The court said investigations and witness testimony established that Najib was involved in interrogating detainees and in a security operation against civilians after protests began in Daraa in 2011.

Najib was tried in his presence, while Bashar and Maher al-Assad were tried in absentia. The Fourth Criminal Court also ordered an international arrest operation against Bashar and Maher al-Assad. In 2024, the Assad government fell after an 11-day campaign by fighters led by current Syrian president Ahmad al-Sharaa, after which Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow.