Syria's post-Assad transition: prosecutions and Russia base handover

Key developments

1. Aug 11, 2026

   A Damascus court sentences Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher, and ex-security official Atef Najib to death for war crimes and torture, trying Assad and Maher in absentia.

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2. Aug 11, 2026

   Syria and Russia agree to convert the Hmeimim and Tartous military bases into joint training centers while transferring civilian facilities to Syrian management.

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Photo: kremlin.ru / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)

Syria sentences Assad in absentia; Najib in cage

A Damascus court handed down death sentences to Bashar al-Assad, his brother Maher, and former security official Atef Najib on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, murder and torture related to the Syrian civil war, with Bashar and Maher tried in absentia and Najib tried in person and international pursuit ordered for the defendants. The rulings mark a high-profile set of prosecutions of former regime figures by transitional authorities, amid ongoing legal actions against other former government members.

78 sources

Syria, Russia Reorganize Bases into Civilian Hubs

Syria and Russia agreed in a memorandum to transform the bases at Hmeimim and Tartous into joint training and qualification centers, while transferring civilian facilities such as Hmeimim Airport and Tartous Port to Syrian management within three months, signaling a major shift in their long-running partnership. The announcement, described as the most significant development in roughly 18 months of talks, suggests a new phase in Syrian-Russian relations with potential regional and economic implications depending on implementation.