‘Crimes against humanity’: Bashar al-Assad convicted in absentia by court in Syria

Written by: Jack Williams

Published on: August 11, 2026

A Syrian court has sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, after he was found guilty of “war crimes” and “crimes against humanity” committed during the Syrian civil war. This is the first sentence against Assad pronounced by the transitional authorities, who this year initiated trials, in presence and in absentia, against members of the previous government. The former president fled with his family to Moscow in December 2024, as Islamist-led forces advanced towards Damascus.

Today Bashar al-Assad resides with his family in Rublyovka, an exclusive and very rich residential area in the western suburbs of the Russian capital (we talked about it here).

Jack Williams

Jack Williams established himself as the editor-in-chief of The Vermilion with rigorous journalistic traits and an incessant quest for truth. His career began as an investigative reporter, where he quickly gained a reputation for his in-depth research and insightful articles. Williams takes his role at The Vermilion very seriously. Since he became editor-in-chief, he has set an editorial line based on impartiality, factual accuracy, and context relevance; this has established The Vermilion as a reference for political, economic, and global news. Under his leadership, the media continues its mission of reporting news with accuracy and equanimity, giving a voice to those who are often overlooked by large-scale media. Jack dedicates himself to fulfilling this mandate with passion, rigour, and unwavering determination.