Syrian court sentences Wassim al-Assad to death for Mulayha massacre

DAMASCUS, Syria — A Syrian criminal court has sentenced Wassim al-Assad, a member of the ruling Assad family, to death after convicting him of forming armed groups responsible for mass killings of civilians. The Syrian Criminal Court said in a statement that Esed established armed groups and supplied them with salaries, weapons and financing. The court found that Esed took part in the 2013 Mulayha massacre, in which 75 civilians were killed. According to the ruling, his gunmen abducted victims and carried out their executions in his presence. The verdict followed his conviction on charges of forming armed groups that carried out mass killings, the court said. No further details were immediately available about whether the sentence can be appealed.