Syria sentences Bashar al-Assad and former officials to death over war crimes

By Al Jazeera English

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Atif Najib, the former Syrian security chief in Daraa, has been sentenced to death for his role in the crackdown on protesters in 2011. A criminal court in Damascus also handed down death sentences in absentia to eight other former regime figures, including Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher. The defendants were convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity, murder, arbitrary detention and torture, including of children. The ruling is being seen as a landmark step towards transitional justice for victims of the Assad regime. Families of those killed and detained in Daraa welcomed the verdict, with celebrations taking place outside the Palace of Justice in Damascus. Najib's sentence cannot yet be carried out as legal appeals must first be completed, while Bashar and Maher remain in Russia. The case is being closely watched as a test of whether Syria can turn judicial rulings into meaningful accountability. Al Jazeera's Obaida Hitto reports from Damascus. Subscribe to our channel

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