Khaddam was tried in absentia by a military court in Damascus .
Khaddam was sentenced to hard labour for life and to be stripped of his civil rights and prevented from residing in Damascus or Tartus , his native town , in August 2008 .
Khaddam was tried in absentia by a military court in Damascus and sentenced to hard labour for life and to be stripped of his civil rights and prevented from residing in Damascus or Tartus , his native town , in August 2008 .