Syria has sentenced ousted former President Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia over killings, torture and other crimes committed during the country’s nearly 14-year civil war.

The verdict, delivered by a Syrian court on Tuesday, represents the first conviction against Assad since he was removed from power in December 2024 following a rebel offensive that brought his family’s decades-long rule to an end.

Assad fled Damascus as rebel forces closed in on the capital and is currently living in Moscow.

The court, which has been hearing cases involving former government officials, found Assad guilty of premeditated and intentional murder, including the killing of several people and children. He was also convicted of torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity.

Atef Najib, a former security official who served under Assad, was also sentenced to death in connection with crimes committed during the conflict.

Assad, born in 1965, became president in 2000 following the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled Syria for almost three decades.

His presidency was characterised by the continued political dominance of the Alawite sect in the predominantly Sunni Muslim country, as well as close relations with Iran and longstanding hostility towards Israel and the United States.

However, Assad’s rule became increasingly defined by the Syrian civil war, which erupted in 2011 after government security forces violently suppressed protests calling for political reforms and greater democracy.

The conflict, which emerged amid the wider Arab Spring uprisings, developed into a devastating multi-sided war involving Syrian government forces, rebel groups, extremist organisations and foreign powers.

Hundreds of thousands of people were killed during the conflict, while millions of Syrians were forced to flee their homes, creating one of the world’s largest displacement crises.

The death sentence handed down in absentia means Assad is not currently in Syrian custody and its immediate enforcement remains dependent on his return or extradition to the country.