PoliticsCan Syria deliver transitional justice? | Inside Story

Syrians have long demanded accountability for murders, disappearances and torture attributed to Bashar al-Assad’s regime during almost 14 years of war. A Damascus court has now sentenced Assad, his brother Maher and six other former senior officials to death in absentia over crimes committed during the conflict. Assad’s cousin, Atef Najib, the former security chief of Deraa province, attended the trial and also received a death sentence. The verdicts are being welcomed by supporters of accountability, while questions remain over Syria’s ability to deliver transitional justice.