DAMASCUS, Syria – A court in Damascus has sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia after convicting him of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Syria’s civil war. The landmark ruling represents the first criminal conviction against Assad since his family’s five-decade regime was overthrown in December 2024, prompting him to flee to Russia. According to Okay News reports, the criminal court also handed down death sentences in absentia to several former senior officials, including Assad’s younger brother Maher al-Assad and former defense minister Fahd al-Freij. The court proceedings addressed the early 2011 detention and torture of school children in Deraa, an event that sparked the nationwide uprising and subsequent civil war. While the interim Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa continues to pursue accountability through special tribunals, primary figures including Bashar al-Assad remain in Moscow as diplomatic efforts regarding extradition continue.