Rifaat al-Assad, the exiled uncle of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad infamous for his brutal suppression of dissent, has passed away in the United Arab Emirates at the age of 88. Media outlets confirmed his death on Tuesday, marking the end of a controversial life marked by violence, exile, and legal battles.
Rifaat, brother of the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, earned the moniker ‘Butcher of Hama’ for orchestrating one of modern history’s most severe crackdowns. In 1982, forces under his command besieged the central city of Hama, employing aerial bombardment and ground operations that resulted in an estimated 40,000 casualties during the suppression of an uprising.
His political ambitions led to a failed coup attempt against his brother, resulting in his prolonged exile primarily in France. During his European residence, Swiss authorities initiated a war crimes investigation in 2013 concerning his alleged involvement in the Hama massacre and additional killings in Tadmor during the early 1980s.
The French judicial system convicted Rifaat in June 2020, sentencing him to four years imprisonment for embezzling Syrian state funds to acquire extensive French real estate holdings valued at approximately €90 million. His assets were subsequently confiscated. Following the upholding of this verdict by France’s highest court in September 2022, he departed for Syria after three decades abroad, having received permission from his nephew Bashar.
In a symbolic gesture of displeasure with French authorities, Rifaat returned the Legion d’Honneur medal awarded to him by President Francois Mitterrand in 1986. His return to Syria coincided with the dramatic political shift that saw Bashar al-Assad ousted by rebel factions led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham in December 2024, ending the family’s fifty-year dynastic rule.
The subsequent Syrian administration has called for prosecuting former officials for repression, wartime conduct, and corruption. Despite multiple pending legal cases, Rifaat avoided imprisonment throughout his life, eventually fleeing to Lebanon and subsequently Dubai following his nephew’s removal from power.