Who is Wassim al-Assad, sentenced to death for Syria war atrocities?

What the report says

Syria has sentenced Wassim al-Assad, a former figure tied to the ousted al-Assad regime, to death over crimes including premeditated murder and torture during the country’s 14-year war, according to Al Jazeera. The ruling was issued in Damascus on Tuesday by the Fourth Criminal Court and came a week after former president Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad and cousin Atef Najib were also given death sentences.

Al Jazeera reported that Wassim al-Assad, 46, is from Latakia and is a cousin of Bashar al-Assad. He was arrested in June 2025 after returning from Lebanon. The court said he was guilty of multiple murders and crimes described as war crimes and crimes against humanity, and ordered his assets confiscated. It also said an armed group linked to him had taken part in abductions and killings.

The case is part of Syria’s wider transitional justice process under President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government, which came to power after the al-Assad regime fell in December 2024. Al Jazeera said Wassim al-Assad had also faced accusations of overseeing Captagon production and smuggling, though the court found insufficient evidence for direct drug-trafficking charges. The broader context is Syria’s effort to prosecute abuses committed during the war and decades of family rule.