A Syrian court sentenced ousted President Bashar Assad, his brother Maher Assad and his cousin Atef Najib to death in absentia for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed during Syria’s 14-year conflict.

The verdicts are the first sentences against Assad or members of his inner circle since his family’s five-decade rule ended in December 2024.

The court accused Bashar Assad of using state agencies to carry out war crimes and crimes against humanity that contributed to the deaths of about half a million people.

Najib was convicted for overseeing a crackdown in Daraa in 2011 that helped spark the uprising that developed into Syria’s civil war, Fox News has reported.

Bashar and Maher Assad fled to Russia after the government collapsed and were granted political asylum, while Syrian authorities have asked Russia to return them.