A Syrian court has sentenced exiled dictator Bashar al-Assad to death for war crimes and crimes against humanity, a verdict delivered in absentia while he remains in Moscow under Vladimir Putin's protection. The 60-year-old fugitive, already serving a life sentence in a luxury high-rise apartment, faces little immediate risk of extradition, but his future remains uncertain.
Death sentence and extradition request
Assad's successor, Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda operative, formally requested Assad's return to Syria for trial. Moscow politely declined for now, and the trial proceeded without him, concluding with the death sentence. President Putin is unlikely to hand him over in the near term, though such a betrayal cannot be discounted forever.
Assad's bloody legacy
Few in Syria will mourn Assad's punishment. His crackdown on a student demonstration led to 14 years of slaughter, with streets from Damascus to the Iraqi, Lebanese, Jordanian, and Israeli borders running with blood. His oppressive violence resulted in the deaths of 620,000 Syrians and the displacement of 14 million people.
Life in Moscow and Putin's calculations
Assad lives in Moscow's gated, elite community of Rublyovka, where he is never truly free, even when shopping in malls. He is reportedly studying Russian and has taken up ophthalmology again, perhaps to kill time, knowing Putin's goons are never far away. Putin's dwindling circle of friends means he must appear reliable, but Assad offers little strategic gain now that Moscow has secured a deal with al-Sharaa on the Tartous naval base and other military sites.
Iran, with its religious and ideological ties to Assad's Shia Alowite tribe, watches Putin's next move closely. Through Syria, Tehran's Islamic Republican Guard Corps traveled to Lebanon with Hezbollah. Putin will not want to upset Tehran for a deal with Damascus. As Assad, his London-born wife Asma, 51, their children, and close associates pace their plush apartment, they know the future is uncertain. At Putin's whim, they could be pushed into vans and flown to Damascus for a terrifying return, as Putin may cash in one of his most prized pawns.
