Damascus [Syria], October 17: A Syrian court on Thursday sentenced two suspected supporters of former president Bashar al-Assad to death over their alleged involvement in violence that left hundreds dead, including many civilians, last year.
The sentences were handed down by a military criminal court in the northern city of Aleppo in connection with unrest that rocked Syria's coastal region in March 2025, state media reported. The area is a stronghold of the Alawite religious minority, to which al-Assad belongs.
Both defendants were found guilty of leading armed groups that carried out attacks aimed at inciting civil war and sectarian violence, Syria's state news agency SANA reported.
The court also handed down prison sentences of varying lengths to several Syrian army personnel in the same case. One of them was given 20 years in prison on charges of intentional homicide, according to the Syrian state news television al-Ekhbariya. Two other army personnel were acquitted due to lack of evidence, the broadcaster added. n March 2025, al-Assad loyalists were accused of ambushing security forces affiliated with Syria's new government, which took power following his ouster in late 2024.
Source: Qatar Tribune