Assad and Najib Sentenced to Death | US News

US News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 11, 2026 · 1m

Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been sentenced to death in absentia by Syria’s Fourth Criminal Court, marking the first such verdict against him or his inner circle since his regime fell 20 months ago. The judge ruled Assad used state power to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity. His cousin, Atef Najib — a former brigadier general convicted for overseeing the 2011 Daraa crackdown that ignited the Syrian civil war — also received a death sentence. Najib, once sanctioned by the U.S., stood in court while Assad, now believed to be in Russia with brother Maher, was sentenced…