Syria: First Trial of Assad-Era Officials Opens in Damascus

Damascus, Syria (AP): A court in Damascus on Sunday opened Syria’s first public trial of officials linked to the ousted regime of former President Bashar al-Assad, marking a significant step in the country’s post-conflict transitional justice process.b3c5e6
Former Syrian army brigadier general Atef Najib, a cousin of Bashar al-Assad and former head of the Political Security Branch in southern Syria’s Daraa province, appeared in person in the defendants’ cage at the Palace of Justice. He faces charges related to “crimes against the Syrian people,” particularly his role in the violent crackdown on protesters in Daraa in 2011, which helped spark the Syrian civil war.
Several other former officials are being tried in absentia.
The trial is being held in Criminal Court No. 4 as part of efforts by the new Syrian authorities to deliver accountability for serious violations committed during more than five decades of Assad family rule.
Bashar al-Assad, whose family ruled Syria for over 50 years, fled the country along with his brother Maher al-Assad as the former government collapsed in late 2024. Both are believed to be living in exile in Russia.
Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar al-Wais described the opening of these trials as “the moment that victims have long waited for,” emphasizing that the process is part of transitional justice and that the court aims to ensure fair proceedings.
The case against Atef Najib is seen as symbolic, as he was a senior security figure at the very beginning of the 2011 uprising. The trials are expected to continue with more high-profile figures from the fallen regime in the coming weeks.
This development comes amid ongoing efforts to stabilize Syria and address the legacies of repression, torture, and widespread human rights abuses under the Assad regime.