Syrian court sentences Wassim al-Assad to death for war crimes

Cousin of Bashar al-Assad and former regime figure found guilty of crimes including premeditated murder and torture.

Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of ousted Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, has been sentenced to death after being convicted of crimes during the country’s nearly 14-year war.

The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus issued the ruling on Tuesday, finding Wassim al-Assad guilty of crimes that included premeditated murder and torture.

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Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said Wassim al-Assad was convicted of multiple murders and “murder accompanied by torture and brutality … classified as crimes against humanity and war crimes”.

Footage showed Wassim al-Assad inside a defendant’s cage in the courtroom as judges read out his sentence.

With the ruling, Wassim al-Assad becomes the first al-Assad family member to be sentenced in person.

While Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher al-Assad also face death sentences, they were sentenced a week earlier in absentia because they live in exile in Russia, where they fled after al-Assad was ousted in December 2024.

Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto, reporting from outside the court in Damascus, called the conviction and sentencing of Wassim al-Assad “very significant”.

“Today, Wassim al-Assad becomes the first person [with the al-Assad family name] … to be tried and sentenced in person here in Syria,” Hitto said.

Gamal Mansour, a lecturer in political science at the University of Toronto, said the ruling against Wassim al-Assad marks a “glorious day” for Syrians.

“It is very good to hear the name al-Assad and see [a conviction against] one [member] of this family, who were elevated as demi-gods… who had impunity, who were involved in multiple crimes and gloated about it,” Mansour told Al Jazeera.

Who is Wassim al-Assad?

Arrested in June 2025 upon his return from Lebanon, Wassim al-Assad has long been accused of overseeing the production and smuggling of the amphetamine-like drug Captagon to neighbouring countries during the former regime’s rule. He is also under United States and European sanctions.

In Syria, Wassim al-Assad faced a range of charges, including establishing and leading pro-regime paramilitary groups since early 2011. He was specifically charged with participating in military operations targeting civilian areas in Eastern Ghouta, particularly the town of al-Mleiha, resulting in the deaths of many civilians.

Judge al-Aryan said the court had established beyond doubt that an armed group linked to Wassim al-Assad was involved in abducting and killing Syrians.

However, the court found him not guilty of drug-trafficking charges, ruling there was insufficient evidence of his direct involvement, Hitto reported.

In addition to the death sentence, the court ordered the confiscation of Wasim al-Assad’s assets.

The hearings are part of Syria’s broader transitional justice process aimed at addressing past abuses and holding those responsible for crimes against Syrians accountable.