Conflict · Syria · ArchiveAssad Brothers Sentenced to Death in Damascus Court's First Post-Regime VerdictAired August 11, 2026 at 12:01 PM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Bashar Assad and his brother Mar Assad0:02have been sentenced to death in absentia0:04by the fourth criminal court in Damascus0:06for crimes against humanity and war0:08crimes during Syria's 14-year conflict.0:10The court handed down the sentences0:12against both brothers in the same case0:14[music] along with their cousin ATF0:15Najib. Maher Assad led the military's0:18fourth armored division while Najib0:20headed the political security branch in0:22Dra province in 2011. These are the0:25first sentences against Assad or members0:27of his inner circle since five decades0:29of family rule ended 20 months ago with0:31the government's fall in December 2024.0:33The war crimes and crimes against0:35humanity charges span a 14-year conflict0:37that killed about half a million people.0:40Najib, a former Syrian Army Brigadier0:42General, was in charge in Dar at the0:44start of the uprising. He was later0:46detained and is now one of the highest0:47ranking officials to be put on trial. He0:50had been sanctioned by the United States0:51in April 2011. Both Bashar and Mahar0:54Assad fled to Russia after the December0:562024 fall and receive political asylum0:58there. Syria's new rulers have asked1:00Russia to hand the Assads over, a1:02request that remains unfulfilled. The1:04verdict has not yet received broader1:06independent confirmation. With the1:08convicted men under protection in1:10Russia, the death sentences cannot be1:12enforced, testing whether a new justice1:14effort can move from symbolic judgment1:16to actual custody. That gap between1:18[music] a death sentence in Damascus and1:20protection in Moscow now defines what1:22comes next. For more stories that1:25matter, like and subscribe.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗