Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (C) is surrounded by soldiers of Syrian army as he visits a frontline area in Damascus' Eastern Ghouta area, Syria, on March 18, 2018. (IANS File Photo)Damascus, August 11 (IANS): Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and several former officials have been sentenced to death after a court convicted them of crimes, including arbitrary detention, premeditated murder, torture and crimes against humanity, local media reported on Tuesday. The court also sentenced Bashar al-Assad's cousin and former political security chief in Daraa city, Atef Najib, to death, Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported. Bashar al-Assad along with his family flew to Moscow after his government collapsed in Syria. Bashar al-Assad rejected any notion that he would leave the people of Syria, stressing he did not agree to "deals and temptations" during the war.