The Damascus Criminal Court today issued death sentences against three former Syrian government officials, including Bashar al-Assad, Maher al-Assad, and Atef Najib.
Publish dateTuesday 11 August 2026 - 14:57
Story Code : 362964
Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus today, Tuesday, in a session dedicated to the final review of the case, sentenced Atef Najib, former head of the Daraa Province Political Security Branch and cousin of Bashar al-Assad, to death on charges of premeditated murder, torture, and responsibility for the deaths of a number of detainees.
According to official Syrian sources and Arab media, Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Arian claimed during the verdict that "Atef Najib" was "involved in the widespread torture of detainees and is directly responsible for the deaths of a number of them" during his time in charge of the Daraa Province Political Security apparatus.
The court announced that it had imposed the most severe punishment foreseen in Syrian law against him.
"Atef Najib" was arrested in July 2025 by the security forces of the Golani government in Latakia and was present in this court behind bars.
In another part of the verdict, the Damascus Criminal Court issued a verdict in absentia, finding "Bashar Assad" guilty of "premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and committing crimes against humanity" and claimed that he used state apparatus to commit these crimes.
Maher Assad, Bashar Assad's younger brother, was also sentenced to death.
These sentences were issued within the framework of a case that began on April 26, 2026 in the Fourth Criminal Court of Damascus (specialized in transitional justice). Atef Najib, who was arrested since July 2025, attended the sessions in person, while Bashar and Maher Assad and several other officials were tried in absentia as fugitive defendants.
Earlier, in the May 10 session, the court had deprived these individuals of their civil rights and placed their assets under state management.
The Syrian Attorney General’s Office had requested the death penalty for Najib and the fugitive defendants in the previous court session. The case mainly relates to the events that began the protests in Daraa in 2011, where Atef Najib was the head of the political security branch, and his name was mentioned in particular in connection with the alleged detention and torture of a number of children in the city. This incident is said to be one of the important factors in the formation of the initial protests in Syria.
Today’s verdict is one of the first important verdicts after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Criticism of the trial process
At the same time, criticism of the trial process has been received from some Syrian legal experts, mainly regarding the technical issues of the trial.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights, Michel Shammas (Syrian lawyer and human rights activist), Hiba Ziyadin (Senior Researcher at Human Rights Watch), and some other Syrian lawyers have raised issues related to the trial process.
The most important criticisms
According to legal experts, there is no clear definition of “crimes against humanity” or “war crimes” in the country’s penal code. For this reason, experts say that the court has relied on international law to describe the crimes, which may cause problems in the future.
Also, the events in Daraa date back to early 2011. At that time, the civil war had not yet officially begun. Some lawyers say that these events cannot be called “war crimes.”
Regarding the in absentia trial of Bashar and Maher al-Assad, critics say that it is not clear whether they were properly notified and whether they were assigned a suitable lawyer to defend their rights.
According to official Syrian sources and Arab media, Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Arian claimed during the verdict that "Atef Najib" was "involved in the widespread torture of detainees and is directly responsible for the deaths of a number of them" during his time in charge of the Daraa Province Political Security apparatus.
The court announced that it had imposed the most severe punishment foreseen in Syrian law against him.
"Atef Najib" was arrested in July 2025 by the security forces of the Golani government in Latakia and was present in this court behind bars.
In another part of the verdict, the Damascus Criminal Court issued a verdict in absentia, finding "Bashar Assad" guilty of "premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and committing crimes against humanity" and claimed that he used state apparatus to commit these crimes.
Maher Assad, Bashar Assad's younger brother, was also sentenced to death.
These sentences were issued within the framework of a case that began on April 26, 2026 in the Fourth Criminal Court of Damascus (specialized in transitional justice). Atef Najib, who was arrested since July 2025, attended the sessions in person, while Bashar and Maher Assad and several other officials were tried in absentia as fugitive defendants.
Earlier, in the May 10 session, the court had deprived these individuals of their civil rights and placed their assets under state management.
The Syrian Attorney General’s Office had requested the death penalty for Najib and the fugitive defendants in the previous court session. The case mainly relates to the events that began the protests in Daraa in 2011, where Atef Najib was the head of the political security branch, and his name was mentioned in particular in connection with the alleged detention and torture of a number of children in the city. This incident is said to be one of the important factors in the formation of the initial protests in Syria.
Today’s verdict is one of the first important verdicts after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
Criticism of the trial process
At the same time, criticism of the trial process has been received from some Syrian legal experts, mainly regarding the technical issues of the trial.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights, Michel Shammas (Syrian lawyer and human rights activist), Hiba Ziyadin (Senior Researcher at Human Rights Watch), and some other Syrian lawyers have raised issues related to the trial process.
The most important criticisms
According to legal experts, there is no clear definition of “crimes against humanity” or “war crimes” in the country’s penal code. For this reason, experts say that the court has relied on international law to describe the crimes, which may cause problems in the future.
Also, the events in Daraa date back to early 2011. At that time, the civil war had not yet officially begun. Some lawyers say that these events cannot be called “war crimes.”
Regarding the in absentia trial of Bashar and Maher al-Assad, critics say that it is not clear whether they were properly notified and whether they were assigned a suitable lawyer to defend their rights.
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