Key Facts

• Wassim al-Assad is a cousin of Bashar al-Assad, the long-time Syrian leader.
• He was detained by Syrian authorities before his trial.
• A Damascus court convicted him of multiple murders with torture and brutality.
• His crimes were classified as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
• The court sentenced Wassim al-Assad to death.
• Bashar al-Assad was also sentenced to death in absentia a week earlier by a Syrian court.
• The judge who issued the sentence to Wassim al-Assad is Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan.
• The case is part of ongoing legal actions related to Syria’s conflict and leadership.