Syrian Court Sentences Ex-President Bashar al-Assad and Former Security Chief Atef Najib to Death

A criminal court in the Syrian capital Damascus on April 8 issued a verdict sentencing former President Bashar al-Assad and Atef Najib, the former head of political security in the southern Deraa province, to death.

According to the ruling, Assad was convicted of premeditated murder, while Najib was found guilty of premeditated murder and torture. The sentences were handed down following proceedings at the criminal court in Damascus.

The ruling is part of legal procedures undertaken after the collapse of Assad's government. Atef Najib, who held a key security post in Deraa province — widely regarded as the starting point of the 2011 uprising — was also convicted on charges related to the suppression of protesters.

Further details of the verdict are still being updated.