On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy noticeOusted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad was sentenced to death in absentia by a court on Tuesday after being convicted of crimes including murder, torture, and arbitrary arrest during the nation's nearly 14-year war. A security official under Assad, Atef Najib, was also sentenced to death. Assad, who was born in 1965, became president in 2000 following the death of his father Hafez. Eyewitness video released on Wednesday, 11 December, 2024 showed men gathering around flames inside the mausoleum of Hafez al-Assad.