WorldSyrian court also sentences Maher Assad and Atef Najib over crackdown that helped trigger the country's civil warDamascus, Syria: A Syrian court has sentenced former President Bashar Al Assad to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Syria's 14-year conflict, according to court proceedings announced on Tuesday. The court also sentenced Assad's younger brother, Maher Al Assad, to death in absentia in the same case. Najib appeared in court under tight security and stood inside a cage wearing a prison uniform as the judge delivered the verdict. According to the case presented before the court, Najib played a central role in the security crackdown in Daraa during the early months of the uprising. The sentencing marks one of the most significant judicial rulings issued by Syria's post-Assad authorities concerning alleged crimes committed during the civil war.