SentencingThis Assadis to death in absentia was a serious strategic blunder that undermines accountability rather than advancing it. Most European countries, including the UK, prohibit extraditing individuals who already face a death sentence without ironclad assurances it won't be carried out. Rushing this verdict hands Assad stronger legal protections under international human rights law and makes it harder to ever bring him to justice.

This verdict marks a major break with Syria's culture of impunity. However, the death sentence against Assad may be less a measure of justice than a political statement, as its legal significance depends on proving individual criminal responsibility, ensuring fair retrials and defense rights and addressing concerns over trials in absentia, judicial independence, international crimes and death sentences.