Syrian leader urges Russia to act on Bashar al-Assad extradition

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has reportedly demanded the extradition of fugitive Bashar al-Assad during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.

According to Al Arabiya, Ashhad Salibi, deputy director of the Russian and Eastern Europe Department of the Syrian Foreign Ministry, stated that al-Sharaa emphasised the importance of holding those responsible for crimes and violations in Syria accountable.

“President al-Sharaa emphasised during the meeting that achieving transitional justice in Syria begins with bringing to justice those responsible for the crimes and violations the country has witnessed in recent years,” Salibi said.

He added that the Russian side expressed a “clear understanding” of Damascus’ demands and that all agreements between Syria and Russia will be reformulated to reflect the interests of the Syrian people.

Bashar al-Assad has ruled Syria since 2000, with his family in power since 1971. On December 8, 2024, a coalition of Islamist groups, which had launched a full-scale offensive in Syria on November 27, claimed to seize power. The following day, Bashar al-Assad and his family were reportedly granted political asylum in Russia.

In September 2025, a Syrian court arrested the former president in absentia on charges including premeditated murder, torture, and unlawful imprisonment linked to the 2011 anti-government protests that triggered the civil war.

Earlier, in April 2025, Ahmad al-Sharaa stated that Russia had refused to extradite Assad to the new Syrian authorities. The matter was also discussed during a February phone call between Vladimir Putin and Syria’s transitional president. Prior to the asylum decision, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov commented that Russia was acting in accordance with the requirements of such “extraordinary circumstances.”

By Tamilla Hasanova