مَحْكَمَةٌ سُورِيَّةٌ تَحْكُمُ بِالإِعْدَامِ غِيابِيًّا عَلَى بَشَّارِ الأَسَدِ
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أَصْدَرَتْ مَحْكَمَةُ الْجِنَايَاتِ الرَّابِعَةُ فِي دِمَشْقَ، فِي الْحَادِي عَشَرَ مِنْ أُغُسْطُسَ، حُكْمًا بِالإِعْدَامِ غِيابِيًّا عَلَى الرَّئِيسِ السَّابِقِ بَشَّارِ الأَسَدِ وَشَقِيقِهِ مَاهِرِ الأَسَدِ. وَأَدَانَتْهُمَا الْمَحْكَمَةُ بِالْقَتْلِ الْعَمْدِ وَالتَّعْذِيبِ وَبِجَرَائِمَ ضِدَّ الإِنْسَانِيَّةِ.
وَصَدَرَ حُكْمُ إِعْدَامٍ أَيْضًا عَلَى عَاطِفِ نَجِيبٍ، وَهُوَ ابْنُ خَالَةِ بَشَّارِ الأَسَدِ وَمَسْؤُولٌ أَمْنِيٌّ سَابِقٌ فِي دَرْعَا. وَكَانَ نَجِيبٌ حَاضِرًا فِي قَاعَةِ الْمَحْكَمَةِ عِنْدَ صُدُورِ الْحُكْمِ. وَتَتَعَلَّقُ الْقَضِيَّةُ بِاعْتِقَالِ فِتْيَةٍ وَاحْتِجَاجَاتٍ وَقَعَتْ فِي دَرْعَا عَامَ ٢٠١١.
وَالْحُكْمُ الْغِيَابِيُّ يَعْنِي أَنَّ الْمُتَّهَمَ لَمْ يَكُنْ حَاضِرًا أَمَامَ الْمَحْكَمَةِ. وَيَعِيشُ بَشَّارُ وَمَاهِرُ الأَسَدِ فِي رُوسْيَا، لِذٰلِكَ لَا يَعْنِي الْحُكْمُ أَنَّ الْعُقُوبَةَ سَتُنَفَّذُ قَرِيبًا. وَإِذَا أُلْقِيَ الْقَبْضُ عَلَى الْمُتَّهَمِ أَوْ سَلَّمَ نَفْسَهُ، فَيُمْكِنُ أَنْ تَبْدَأَ مُحَاكَمَةٌ جَدِيدَةٌ بِحُضُورِهِ، وَفْقَ الْقَانُونِ السُّورِيِّ.
وَتُعَدُّ الْقَضِيَّةُ خُطْوَةً بَارِزَةً فِي مَسَارِ مُحَاسَبَةِ مَسْؤُولِي النِّظَامِ السَّابِقِ. وَلٰكِنَّ مَنْظَّمَاتٍ حُقُوقِيَّةً قَالَتْ إِنَّ سُرْعَةَ الْإِجْرَاءَاتِ وَعُقُوبَةَ الإِعْدَامِ تُثِيرَانِ أَسْئِلَةً عَنْ ضَمَانَاتِ الْمُحَاكَمَةِ الْعَادِلَةِ.
Show English Translation
Syrian Court Sentences Bashar al-Assad to Death in Absentia
On August 11, the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus sentenced former president Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher al-Assad to death in absentia. The court convicted them of premeditated murder, torture, and crimes against humanity.
A death sentence was also issued against Atef Najib, Bashar al-Assad’s maternal cousin and a former security official in Daraa. Najib was present in the courtroom when the sentence was announced. The case concerns the arrest of teenagers and protests that took place in Daraa in 2011.
A sentence in absentia means that the accused person was not present before the court. Bashar and Maher al-Assad live in Russia, so the ruling does not mean that the penalty will be carried out soon. Under Syrian law, if an accused person is arrested or surrenders, a new trial can begin in that person’s presence.
The case is an important step in efforts to hold officials from the former government accountable. However, human-rights organizations said that the speed of the proceedings and the death penalty raise questions about fair-trial safeguards.
Key Vocabulary
| Arabic | Part of speech | English |
|---|---|---|
| مَحْكَمَةٌ | noun | court |
| حُكْمٌ | noun | judgment; verdict |
| الإِعْدَامُ | noun | death penalty; execution |
| غِيَابِيًّا | adverb | in absentia |
| أَدَانَ | verb | to convict |
| التَّعْذِيبُ | noun | torture |
| مَسْؤُولٌ | noun | official |
| اِعْتِقَالٌ | noun | arrest; detention |
| مُتَّهَمٌ | noun | accused person; defendant |
| ضَمَانَاتٌ | noun | safeguards; guarantees |
Sources
- Associated Press: Syrian court sentences Bashar Assad to death in absentia for war crimes
- Le Monde: Conviction of Assad regime officials tests Syria's transitional justice
- Syrian Network for Human Rights: After the Death Sentence… This Is How Syria Can Capture “Assad”
This learner article is an original summary based on the sources above. The featured image is an AI-generated editorial illustration.