Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Sentenced to Death

Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been sentenced to death by a Syrian court for crimes committed during the country’s civil war. The verdict was announced on Tuesday (August 11) by a criminal court in Damascus.

According to a report by Qatar-based Al Jazeera, Assad and Atef Najib, former head of the Political Security Division in southern Syria’s Daraa province, were both sentenced to death.

The court found Assad guilty of premeditated murder. Najib was convicted of premeditated murder and torture.

The court’s ruling stated that crimes committed by Assad’s government in Daraa province in 2011 amounted to crimes against humanity.

The verdict marks a major legal development concerning alleged abuses committed during the early stages of Syria’s civil war.