- Rifaat al-Assad death ends a controversial chapter in Syria
- Rifaat al-Assad death follows decades of exile and legal cases
Rifaat al-Assad death was reported on Tuesday, January 20, by Reuters, citing two sources with knowledge of the matter. Rifaat al-Assad, the younger brother of former Syrian president Hafez al-Assad, died at the age of 88. He passed away in the United Arab Emirates. Once among the most powerful figures in Syria’s ruling class, his death closes a long and deeply divisive chapter in the country’s modern history.
Often described by critics as the “butcher of Hama,” Rifaat al-Assad was closely linked to the crushing of an Islamist uprising in the central Syrian city of Hama in 1982. Elite forces loyal to him carried out the operation. The assault left large parts of the city destroyed and thousands dead. Later, the episode became one of the bloodiest moments of the Assad era and remains a key reference point in discussions about his role.
Rifaat al-Assad began his rise as a former army officer. He played a key role in helping his elder brother Hafez seize power in a 1970 coup. Over time, he helped consolidate decades of authoritarian rule. His influence grew through the 1970s and early 1980s. This influence came from his command over elite military units and his image as a hardliner within the regime.
Born in Qardaha, the Assad family’s stronghold and part of the Alawite heartland, Rifaat emerged as one of Syria’s most powerful men after the coup. Meanwhile, his command of the forces that suppressed the 1982 Muslim Brotherhood-led uprising further strengthened his standing. However, estimates of the death toll varied widely over the years. The Syrian Network for Human Rights put the number between 30,000 and 40,000 civilians. Swiss prosecutors later cited figures ranging from 3,000 to 60,000.
Later, after Hafez al-Assad fell ill in 1983, senior figures briefly viewed Rifaat as a possible successor. He became vice-president in 1984. However, tensions grew fast. In the same year, his forces moved to seize key positions in Damascus. Therefore, fears of a violent showdown spread. Hafez eventually defused the crisis, and Rifaat was forced into exile.
He spent decades in Europe, mainly in France and Spain, as a wealthy businessman. In 2020, a French court convicted him of acquiring property using funds diverted from the Syrian state. The court sentenced him to four years in prison and ordered asset seizures estimated at around 100 million euros. Rifaat denied wrongdoing. According to Reuters, he returned to Syria in 2021 and later fled again after events in 2024. Despite repeated efforts to return to public life, Rifaat al-Assad remained a deeply controversial figure until his death.
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