Ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad sentenced to death in absentia

The court also sentenced six former military and security officials in absentia to death, including Bashar al-Assad's younger brother, Maher.

Since then, the new government has detained numerous former officials and security personnel, though most senior figures from the old regime, including Assad himself, remain out of reach in Russia.

A Syrian court has sentenced ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia, after convicting him of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country's civil war.