Damascus court judge says evidence tied Bashar al-Assad to orders in ruling against him
The head of Damascus's Fourth Criminal Court said the ruling against Bashar al-Assad rested on evidence of direct orders, TRT Arabi reported on Telegram, citing Syria's state news agency SANA.
DAMASCUS — The head of the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus, Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan, said on Thursday that the court's ruling against Bashar al-Assad followed evidence of his direct role in ordering crimes, according to a post by TRT Arabi on Telegram.
The post is the only source for this report. It is a social media post and has not been independently verified. It relays remarks that the judge reportedly made to the Syrian news agency SANA. The text available for this report is cut off, so some details are missing.
From the scene, on social media
What the judge said
According to TRT Arabi, al-Aryan said the evidence showed Assad took part directly in giving orders to field perpetrators who committed crimes against the Syrian people. TRT Arabi describes Assad as the ousted head of the former government.
The channel quoted al-Aryan as telling SANA that the court relied on "proof of Bashar al-Assad's responsibility through the chain of command and orders, and the evidence documenting his direct involvement in issuing orders from the top of the pyramid to the field perpetrators." The wording is a translation of the Arabic quoted in the post.
TRT Arabi also reported that al-Aryan stressed the ruling was not issued merely because Assad held the office of president. The post gives no further explanation of that point.
Earlier ruling
The post says the Fourth Criminal Court issued rulings on 11 August. It describes them as death sentences handed down in absentia. The available text breaks off at this point. It does not say who received those sentences or what the charges were.
The post also does not say what penalty applies to Assad in the ruling the judge discussed on Thursday. This report therefore does not state his sentence. It does not say whether the Thursday remarks refer to the August rulings or to a separate decision.
What is not confirmed
The available text does not name the specific crimes, the number of defendants or the legal basis for the proceedings. It does not say whether Assad can appeal or whether he has responded. It does not say where he is.
No news outlet, court document or official statement other than the Telegram post was available to confirm the judge's remarks. The post attributes them to SANA, but the original SANA report was not part of the material reviewed.
Readers following events in Syria should treat the account as preliminary until the court or SANA publishes the full ruling and the judge's statement.
How the story developed
- October 20, 2026Turkey to keep troops in Syria and Iraq until border security is ensured
- October 20, 2026US bill targets Syrian officials over minority abuses
- October 21, 2026Syria and Lebanon discuss refugee returns and child protection
- October 23, 2026Damascus court judge says evidence tied Bashar al-Assad to orders in ruling against him
Sources
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