Rifat al-Assad, the brother of the late Syrian President Hafez al-Assad, who critics called the "Butcher of Hama" for crushing an Islamist uprising in the city in 1982, died on Tuesday, after a failed bid to seize power and years in exile.
He was 88 years old. He died in the United Arab Emirates, two sources familiar with the circumstances of his death told Reuters.
A former officer who helped Hafez al-Assad seize power in a military coup in 1970 and establish a firm, authoritarian rule, Rifaat continued to harbor presidential ambitions during his long years in exile, mostly in France. He returned to Syria in 2021, but fled again in 2024, following the overthrow of his nephew, President Bashar al-Assad.
When Hafez al-Assad died in 2000, Rifaat opposed the transfer of power to Bashar and declared himself the legitimate heir, in a challenge to the leadership that ultimately proved to be without real force, Reuters reports.
He spoke again from abroad in 2011, when Syria was gripped by an uprising, urging his nephew to step down quickly to prevent civil war. At the same time, he downplayed Bashar's responsibility, attributing the uprising to "a series of mistakes."
More than a decade later, Bashar, who was still in power at the time, allowed his uncle to return to the country, helping him avoid prison in France, where he was convicted of acquiring real estate worth millions of euros with money diverted from the Syrian state.
After Bashar's fall, Rifat tried to flee via a Russian air base but was denied entry. He eventually crossed into Lebanon, carried across a river on the back of a close associate, said one source with direct knowledge of the event.
Attack on Hamu
Rifaat al-Assad, Hafez's younger brother, was born in the village of Qardaha, in a mountainous area near the Mediterranean coast, which is a stronghold of the Alawite minority to which the family belongs.
After the 1970 coup, Rifat became one of the most powerful figures in the Assad regime. He commanded the elite units that crushed the Muslim Brotherhood uprising in Hama in 1982 - one of the biggest threats to Hafez's rule during his thirty-year rule.
The devastating three-week offensive that killed more than 10.000 people is often described as a model for how Bashar would deal with the rebellion against his rule three decades later.
The independent Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) reported in 2022, citing estimates from informed sources, that between 30.000 and 40.000 civilians were killed in Hama.
In March 2024, the Swiss Attorney General's Office announced that Rifat al-Assad would be brought to trial for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Hama.
According to the indictment by the Swiss prosecutor, between 3.000 and 60.000 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the attack. Rifat's lawyers said in response that he "has always denied any involvement" in the crimes.
Conflict with Hafez
His role in suppressing the uprising in Hama further strengthened Rifaat's position in the regime.
In the book "Assad: The Struggle for the Middle East," journalist Patrick Seale stated that the victory over the Muslim Brotherhood was one of the reasons why senior regime officials turned to Rifaat when Hafez fell seriously ill in 1983 and there were fears that he would not recover.
The following year he was appointed vice president.
While Hafez was still ill, Rifat began to press for changes in government, and posters of him in uniform appeared in Damascus. When Hafez recovered, he was, as Sill wrote, "extremely unhappy," Reuters reports.
Their rivalry culminated in 1984, when Rifat ordered his forces to seize key points in Damascus, threatening open conflict. Hafez, however, managed to prevent an escalation.
Rifat left Syria after a failed attempt to take power.
Avoiding prison
He established himself as a wealthy businessman in Europe - first in Geneva, and then in France and Spain.
In later years, he was often seen accompanied by bodyguards at the luxury marina in Marbella, where he also owned a property on the coast.
However, his wealth has become the subject of corruption investigations.
In 2020, a French court found him guilty of acquiring real estate worth millions of euros using funds diverted from the Syrian state and sentenced him to four years in prison.
All of his assets in France, then estimated at 100 million euros, were ordered to be confiscated, as well as properties in London worth 29 million euros.
Rifat has consistently denied the allegations.
His return to Syria in 2021 was not his first visit after the failed coup: in 1992, he attended his mother's funeral.
The pro-government newspaper stated at the time that he had returned "to avoid a prison sentence in France" and that he would not have any political or social role.
A photo posted on social media in April 2023 showed him in a group of people, including a smiling Bashar al-Assad.
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