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. Najib, who was arrested inside Syria, is among the few senior former regime officials likely to face the sentences. But the death penalty could complicate efforts to bring other officials to justice, as countries and international organisations generally do not cooperate with jurisdictions where defendants could face execution.
Al Jazeera’s Heidi Pett reports from Deraa.
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