A Syrian court has sentenced a cousin of ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad to death after finding him guilty of torture and crimes against humanity. The ruling is one of the most significant judicial actions taken against a member of the Assad family since the collapse of his regime, and reflects efforts by Syria's new authorities to hold former officials accountable for abuses committed under decades of Assad rule.

The convicted relative remains outside the country, having fled into exile along with other regime loyalists after Assad's downfall, meaning the death sentence is unlikely to be carried out unless he is extradited or apprehended. The case forms part of a wider reckoning in Syria, where courts and transitional authorities have been pursuing prosecutions against figures accused of overseeing torture, detentions and other atrocities during the civil war and the Assad family's long grip on power.