Syrian court sentences Bashar al-Assad to death for war crimes
Latest update from PBS NewsHour: In our news wrap Tuesday, ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been sentenced to death in absentia for war crimes during the country's brutal civil war, authorities say at least six people were killed when Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired ballistic missiles on a vessel and the Democratic Republic of the Congo says the Ebola outbreak there has now killed more than 2,000 people. Verdict relates to atrocities committed during the country’s 14-year civil war in which about 500,000 people died A Syrian court has sentenced the country’s former president Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes during the 14-year civil war, in which about half a million people died. The two men fled to Moscow after being ousted by a lightning rebel offensive in December 2024 which toppled the dictatorial regime in just 11 days . The former president and his brother, who commanded the feared fourth division and was considered the regime’s top security official, oversaw a brutal crackdown in which government forces killed, arrested and tortured indiscriminately to crush protests that started in 2011.
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In July 2025, more than 1,700 people were killed in massacres in the Druze-majority province of Suweida when local fighting evolved into sectarian killings. The Syrian government has presented his trial as a landmark case in its pursuit of transitional justice, something experts say is key to healing divisions in the country.
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Latest update from PBS NewsHour: In our news wrap Tuesday, ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been sentenced to death in absentia for war crimes during the country's brutal civil war, authorities say at least six people were killed when Iran-backed Houthi rebels fired ballistic missiles on a vessel and the Democratic Republic of the Congo says the Ebola outbreak there has now killed more than 2,000 people. Verdict relates to atrocities committed during the country’s 14-year civil war in which about 500,000 people died A Syrian court has sentenced the country’s former president Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes during the 14-year civil war, in which about half a million people died. The two men fled to Moscow after being ousted by a lightning rebel offensive in December 2024 which toppled the dictatorial regime in just 11 days . The former president and his brother, who commanded the feared fourth division and was considered the regime’s top security official, oversaw a brutal crackdown in which government forces killed, arrested and tortured indiscriminately to crush protests that started in 2011.
