Former President of Syria, Bashar al-Assad was condemned to death in absentia for crimes against humanity in a historic trial.
Alongside Bashar al-Assad his brother, Maher al-Assad, and the former head of political security, Atef Najib, have also been sentenced to death for their roles in the 2011 Syrian civil war and torture campaign. The streets outside the courthouse were crowded with celebrations. “The joy is indescribable,” one man told the BBC, hoisting up a photo of his late father. “God willing we will see Bashar al-Assad and all his aides hanging on the gallows.”
In 2011 pro-democracy protests broke out after the arrest and torture of teenagers who had painted slogans on their school wall. In August 2011 Amnesty International reported that ten children had died in Syrian custody who were beaten and burned. Amnesty international also reported that within months of the protest beginning 1,800 people had been killed.
The city of Daraa where the teenagers had been arrested faced the brunt of the military crackdown on protests but the military presence spread quickly across the country.
In 2014 a United Nations report alleged that mass arrests of children was common practice for the Assad regime with children reportedly beaten with metal cables, whips and wooden and metal batons, and suffered electric shock, mock executions, cigarette burns, sleep deprivation and solitary confinement, and sexual violence, including rape and threats of rape whilst in custody.
As of 2026 more than 14 million Syrians were forced to flee during the conflict. Between 1 March 2011 and 31 March 2021, 306,887 civilians were killed in the war in Syria. The conflict still has long-term effects on the people and political stability of Syria today, with 11 million people still depending on humanitarian aid according to Oxfam.
The Assad regime fell in December 2024, many attributing the loss to the volatile atmosphere in the Middle East drawing resources away from the Syrian government. With the fall of his regime, Assad fled to Moscow, which had been a staunch supporter during his reign. A transitional government was set up with the focus on diversity, after years of instability. The transitional government has been trying high ranking officials in the Assad regime since it fell but the death sentences issued are historic for international law.
Edited by Scott Raffan and Ross Munro