Assad Sentenced to Death in Absentia: True Justice or Selective Retribution in the New Syria?
Damascus — August 11, 2026
A Syrian court has issued a death sentence in absentia against former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad after convicting him of charges related to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Syrian war. Sentences were also handed down against his brother, Maher al-Assad, and several former officials, while former security chief in Daraa, Atef Najib, received a death sentence in person.
The crimes and violations committed during the Syrian war cannot be ignored, and justice cannot be selective when it comes to the victims.
However, the most pressing questions remain:
Who possesses the legitimacy to issue these rulings? And will the same standard of justice be applied to everyone?
Assad fled Damascus in December 2024 and arrived in Moscow with his family, where Russia granted them asylum on humanitarian grounds, according to Kremlin sources at the time. ✈️
This reality makes Moscow a central actor in this dossier rather than a mere sanctuary.
Russia holds one of the most critical cards: physical custody of Assad himself. Any attempt by Damascus to execute the death sentence issued in absentia will swiftly escalate into a major political and diplomatic standoff with Moscow.
As for the financial dossier, it demands a higher degree of precision.
Massive estimates regarding the Assad family's assets outside Syria have circulated for years. However, the most credible open-source benchmark remains a 2022 US Department of State report, which estimated the extended family's wealth at $1 billion to $2 billion—while explicitly noting that it could not independently verify the exact figure. 📉
Therefore, claiming as an established fact that "all of Assad's wealth sits in Russian banks" is factually inaccurate. ❌
The real questions are:
What volume of assets tied to the Assad family actually resides in Russia? Who controls them? And could Moscow use them as leverage if Damascus demands their repatriation or freezing?
This financial dossier could ultimately prove more consequential than the execution order itself. 💼
This brings us directly to the credibility of the court and the new ruling authority.
The new Syrian administration presents the verdict as a step toward accountability and transitional justice. However, the transition period itself has faced serious allegations of grave violations committed by forces affiliated with the new authorities.
According to UN investigations, over 1,400 people—mostly Alawite civilians—were killed in March 2025 during violence involving government-aligned forces and affiliated armed groups. The UN Commission of Inquiry concluded that documented violations may amount to war crimes, and potentially crimes against humanity pending further investigation. 🇺🇳
This raises critical concerns:
Can an authority facing allegations of severe abuses credibly lead the prosecution of the former regime without subjecting its own commanders and forces to the same judicial scrutiny?
Will transitional justice apply universally, including to political and military figures tied to the forces that seized Damascus?
Or will "justice" simply become a instrument to reshape the power balance and settle political scores?
From the perspective of the Axis of Resistance, this point is fundamental. ⚡
Assad’s fall did not automatically transform Syria into a neutral, democratic, or sovereign state. What occurred was a shift in the balance of power, while the next battle centers on who controls the Syrian state, who defines its adversaries, who holds authority on its territory, and which crimes actually reach the courtroom.
Here, Russia's enduring role should not be underestimated.
While Moscow lost its primary Syrian ally in 2024, it did not lose all its strategic levers of influence. Assad's presence in Russia, the future of Russian strategic interests in Syria, and the disposition of his family's assets provide Moscow with substantial bargaining power in future friction with Damascus.
The true test of Syrian justice is not the capacity to convict Assad.
The test is whether Syria can build a legal framework that holds yesterday's rulers, today's rulers, and tomorrow's rulers accountable under the exact same standards.
This directly applies to current President Ahmed al-Sharaa, historically known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani. Who will prosecute him for the crimes committed prior to—and following—his seizure of power?
Otherwise, what is branded as "transitional justice" will remain nothing more than: