A court in Damascus on Tuesday sentenced the exiled former dictator Bashar al-Assad and eight ex-officials in his regime to death after finding them guilty of premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity. Photo by Sana news agency/EPAAug. 11 (UPI) -- A court in Damascus on Tuesday sentenced the exiled former dictator Bashar al-Assad and eight ex-officials to death after finding them guilty of premeditated murder, torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity. Najib was convicted of murder, including "the intentional killing of children under 15" and "torture leading to death". The verdict and sentences, were described as "an important step toward justice, redressing victims' rights and upholding the rule of law" by National Commission for Transitional Justice head Abdul Basit Abdul Latif. "The verdict reflects the magnitude of the sacrifices we made, the sacrifices of the martyrs, the suffering and pain of the victims, the missing, and the detainees.