Syrians celebrate death sentences for Bashar al-Assad and senior officials

People in Syria's Deraa have celebrated death sentences handed down to former President Bashar al-Assad and senior members of his security apparatus over war crimes and crimes against humanity. They include Assad's cousin Atef Najib, the former head of political security in Deraa, who was accused of overseeing the brutal repression of protesters there in 2011. Assad and other senior officials fled to Russia after his government was overthrown in December 2024, making their extradition unlikely.