[REVISION HISTORY]

Syrian transitional justice legal proceedings

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2026-09-19 18:12 UTC → 2026-09-19 20:25 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Following the departure of the Assad family from Damascus in December 2024, Syrian courts have initiated legal proceedings against former regime officials as part of transitional justice efforts. In August 2026, a Damascus court sentenced ousted President Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and six other officials to death in absentia for crimes including murder, torture, and crimes against humanity. While the Assad family reportedly received asylum in Moscow, other officials, such as Atef Najib, remain in Syrian custody. During the same period, the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus sentenced former Grand Mufti Ahmad Hassoun to life imprisonment for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court found he used his religious office to provide ‘spiritual cover’ for military operations and incited sectarian violence. In September 2026, the Military Criminal Court in Aleppo issued its first set of verdicts regarding the March 2025 massacres on the Syrian coast. Of the first seven defendants, Hadi Adnan Qablan received a death sentence for inciting civil war and participating in an armed gang, while Tahani Ahmed was sentenced to life imprisonment. Basil Marai Al-Hassan received 20 years for premeditated murder, and Hassan Hulaybiya was acquitted. ~~The broader trial involves 14 defendants, including both former regime members and current government security personnel.~~ Concurrently, in the United States, former Syrian Brigadier General Samir Ousman Alsheikh was sentenced to 60 years in prison by a federal judge in Los Angeles. Alsheikh, the former head of Adra Prison, was convicted of torture and conspiracy. The trial featured testimony regarding the use of a device known as the ‘magic carpet’ to fold prisoners' bodies. He is the highest-ranking official from the Assad regime to be sentenced in person outside of Syria.

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