Bashar Assad and His Brother Sentenced to Death for War Crimes: What This Means for Syria

Major Sentencing in Syria's Ongoing Conflict

Damascus: A court in Syria has issued a death sentence in absentia against former President Bashar Assad and his younger brother for their involvement in crimes against humanity and war crimes throughout the nation's prolonged conflict, which has resulted in approximately 500,000 fatalities.

In the same ruling, Assad's cousin, Atef Najib, received a death sentence for his role in the violent suppression of protests in Daraa, which ignited the uprising and subsequent civil war.

During the proceedings, Najib was present in a cage, dressed in a prison uniform, as the judge announced the verdict.

Following the advance of insurgents into Damascus in December 2014, both Assad and his brother Maher sought refuge in Russia.

Najib, a former brigadier general in the Syrian army, was the head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa during the early stages of the conflict in 2011 and has now become one of the highest-ranking officials to face trial.