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A Damascus criminal court sentenced Wasim Assad, a cousin of former Syrian President Bashar Assad, to death Tuesday and ordered the seizure of his movable and immovable property in favor of the public treasury, after convicting him of forming armed militias responsible for massacres of civilians in the Eastern Ghouta region.
The Damascus Criminal Court, presided over by Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan, held its sixth session dedicated to review and sentencing in Wasim Assad's case, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
Investigations established that Wasim Assad was involved in forming irregular armed groups under orders from Brig. Gen. Ghiath Dalla, a brigade commander in the former regime's 4th Division led by Maher al-Assad, according to the court, as cited by SANA.
These groups targeted civilian areas in Eastern Ghouta and carried out massacres of civilians, particularly in the town of Mleha, the court found.
The court also found, based on what it described as conclusive evidence, that an armed group affiliated with Assad attacked a commercial shop in the town of Jaramana, stole its contents, and kidnapped its owner because of his opposition to the former government, alongside involvement in kidnapping and killing Syrian citizens in several areas.
During the sentencing session, Judge al-Aryan emphasized that Assad committed crimes against civilians in Eastern Ghouta, some of them driven by sectarian motives, according to Al Arabiya.
The court also said the defendant took part in killing and torturing civilians in Jaramana and committed crimes against humanity.
After the evidence and charges against him were read in full, the judge announced the death sentence "for the crime of premeditated murder, the crime of premeditated murder of more than one person, and premeditated murder accompanied by acts of torture and brutality against individuals, characterized as crimes against humanity and war crimes."
SANA reported that the court convicted Wasim Assad of premeditated murder of more than one person and torture offenses characterized as crimes against humanity and war crimes, and ordered the confiscation of his movable and immovable assets in favor of the public treasury.
The ruling is expected to proceed to Syria's Court of Cassation for a final word on the case, according to Al Arabiya.
Syria's Public Prosecution had sought the death penalty against Assad during the third session of his trial, as part of a series of proceedings against defendants accused of committing crimes during the former government's rule.
Wasim Assad, a cousin of Bashar Assad, first appeared before Syrian courts on June 24, facing charges related to "managing and forming irregular armed groups under orders from Brig. Gen. Ghiath Dalla, a brigade commander in the former regime's 4th Division led by Maher Assad, since the beginning of 2011, and participating in extensive military operations targeting civilian areas in Eastern Ghouta, particularly the town of Mleha, which resulted in the deaths of a large number of civilians."
Wasim Assad, 46, was known as one of the most prominent defendants accused of trafficking Captagon drugs and smuggling them to neighboring countries during the former government's rule, and is subject to U.S. and European sanctions.
Syrian authorities detained him on June 21, 2025, at the Syrian-Lebanese border as part of a broader campaign to pursue those accused of committing crimes during the former government's rule.
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