A Syrian court sentenced former Syrian President Bashar Assad, along with his younger brother, to death in absentia on Tuesday. The sentence was handed down for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Syria’s 14-year conflict, which resulted in approximately half a million fatalities.
In the same legal proceedings, Assad's maternal cousin, Atef Najib, was also sentenced to death. Najib was implicated for leading the crackdown in the southern province of Daraa, an action that precipitated the uprising and subsequent civil war.
Under tight security conditions, Najib was seen standing inside a cage while wearing a prisoner’s uniform as the judge pronounced the sentence.
Assad and his brother Maher fled to Russia following insurgents' entry into Damascus in December 2014.
Najib was later apprehended and became one of the highest-ranking officials facing trial. He is a former Syrian army brigadier general who served as head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa province under Assad in 2011.