Atef Najib, former head of political security in Deraa province and a cousin of Bashar al-Assad, appeared before a Damascus court charged with murder, torture, and responsibility for massacres.

First public trial opens in Damascus

A Damascus court has begun Syria's first public trial of a former Assad-era official, with Atef Najib — ex-head of political security in Deraa province — appearing in the dock charged with crimes against the Syrian people.

Najib, a cousin of former President Bashar al-Assad, faces at least ten charges including murder, torture, and direct responsibility for massacres carried out during the Assad government's crackdown on the population.

Who is Atef Najib

Najib served as one of the most powerful security figures in Deraa, the southern province where Syria's 2011 uprising began. His appearance in court was described as a landmark moment for victims of the former government, with charged scenes reported inside and outside the courtroom.

Arrests tied to wartime atrocities

The trial follows a broader accountability push by Syrian authorities. Days before Najib's court appearance, authorities arrested Amjad Youssef, identified as the main suspect in the 2013 Tadamon massacre in Damascus, in which blindfolded civilians were bound, shot, and dumped in a pit. A leaked video showed Youssef shooting the victims.

The consecutive arrests signal that Syria's post-Assad administration intends to pursue prosecutions across multiple cases of alleged wartime violence.

Long road ahead for victims

Legal observers and victims' advocates have characterised the Najib trial as a first step on what is expected to be a lengthy accountability process. The scale of alleged crimes committed under the former government means that proceedings are likely to continue for years.