Conflict · SyriaAssad Sentenced to Death in Historic Syrian TrialAired August 28, 2026 at 6:12 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00A Syrian court has sentenced former President Bashar al-Assad to death.0:04It's the first domestic verdict against the regime, but most defendants were tried0:07in absentia, and the UN is questioning whether the trials were fair.0:11Can justice be both real and fair in the new Syria?0:14The verdicts came over three sittings of the Damascus Fourth Criminal Court under0:17Judge Fakr al-Din al-Aryan.0:20On August 11th, Bashar al-Assad, his brother Mahar, and their cousin Atef Najib were0:25among nine sentenced to death.0:27A week later, a relative Wasim al-Assad received the same, and on August 24th,0:32former Grand Mufti Ahmad Hassoun, known as the Barrel Bomb Mufti, was given life in0:37prison after a trial that opened in June.0:39In total, 10 people have been sentenced to death.0:42The court convicted them of premeditated murder, including of children under 15,0:47torture that killed, arbitrary detention, kidnapping, and incitement.0:50It described Assad as the highest decision maker who used state institutions to0:54commit these acts.0:56However, Syria's Penal Code does not list war crimes or crimes against humanity as1:00separate offenses.1:01The court relied on ordinary articles on murder and torture, an anti-torture law,1:06and constitutional acceptance of international treaty obligations.1:09Most high-level defendants were tried in absentia.1:12Bashar and Mahar are in Moscow without formal notification or effective1:16representation.1:17Etef Najib appeared in person, standing in a cage.1:20Under Syrian law, an inabsentia sentence can be annulled if the defendant is later1:24arrested or surrenders.1:25The United Nations Commission of Inquiry acknowledged the significance of the1:29convictions but stressed fair trial safeguards, including rights to defense and1:33counsel.1:33It reiterated its principled opposition to the death penalty and urged a moratorium1:38with a view to abolition.1:40Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch also called for a moratorium.1:44Syrian authorities have defended the trials as public and compliant with the law.1:48Roughly 177,000 enforced disappearances have been documented since 2011.1:54A national commission for the missing and a national commission for transitional1:57justice have been created, but the accounting is far from complete.2:01Former officials including Ibrahim Huajah and Mohammed Al-Shah are among those named2:05for future cases.2:07Five and a half million people remain internally displaced.2:09The 2026 humanitarian appeal is only 30% funded.2:13The UN projects double-digit growth this year after the US removed Syria from its2:17list of state sponsors of terrorism, but poverty and inflation persist.2:20An Israeli airstrike on the Abu al-Duhar airbase in Idlib this month was called a2:24deplorable escalation.2:25Any execution faces a lengthy review.2:28Death sentences must go to the court of cassation, then a special pardons committee,2:32and finally presidential ratification.2:35So far, no one has been executed.2:37For families of the disappeared, these are the first formal judgments of the old2:40order.2:41But the UN and rights groups see a test, whether justice can be both real and fair,2:46and the most senior defendants remain beyond the reach of Syrian courts in Moscow.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗