Syrian court sentences former president Bashar Assad to death

A court in Syria has sentenced former president Bashar Assad, his brother Maher Assad, and their cousin Najib Atef to death. "The state prosecutor demanded that the accused be found guilty of murder, torture, arbitrary arrest, and embezzlement of state funds, with the maximum penalty provided for these crimes, namely the death penalty, emphasizing that the evidence in the case is consistent and interconnected," the statement said.