A Syrian court on Tuesday condemned former President Bashar Assad, his younger brother Maher Assad, and their cousin Atef Najib to death in absentia for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed throughout the nation's 14-year civil conflict, which resulted in approximately 500,000 casualties.

The ruling also targeted Najib, Assad’s maternal cousin and a former army brigadier general who led the Political Security Branch in the southern province of Daraa during Assad's regime in 2011.

His forceful suppression of local demonstrations in Daraa played a pivotal role in igniting the popular uprising that ultimately spiraled into a full-scale regional conflict.

Unlike the Assad brothers, who escaped to Russia following the insurgent takeover of Damascus in December 2014, Najib was apprehended and remains one of the highest-ranking figures from the former administration to stand trial.

Present in the courtroom under heavy security, Najib listened to the verdict from inside a metal cage wearing a standard prison uniform.

Source: AP