Syrians celebrate court ruling sentencing Bashar, Maher Assad and Atef Najib to death

Syrians across the country celebrated a Syrian court's ruling sentencing their former president Bashar Assad, his brother Maher Assad, and their cousin Atef Najib to death.

Public squares in Damascus turned into scenes of celebration, as crowds gathered in front of the Palace of Justice, carrying one of the judges who decided the case on their shoulders amid jubilant chants.

The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus had sentenced former president Bashar Assad and his brother Maher Assad to death in absentia on charges of premeditated murder and torture.

The court unanimously convicted the fugitive Bashar Assad of murder and incitement to murder, sentencing him to death, and also handed a death sentence to Atef Najib after completing his trial sessions.

Atef Najib previously served as head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa province, which witnessed waves of arrests since the start of the Syrian uprising in 2011.