Trial Begins in Damascus for Former Assad Official Atef Najib on Charges of Crimes Against Civilians

A highly symbolic trial opened in Damascus on April 26, 2026, marking the first proceedings against a former dignitary of the Assad regime. Atef Najib appeared in the defendants' dock at the Damascus courthouse on that day, behind bars, facing charges related to crimes against the Syrian people.

Le Monde reported that the trial is taking place nearly a year and a half after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.

Najib was arrested in January 2025 in Syria and was one of the first former senior officials detained by the new authorities. He is a cousin of Bashar al-Assad and served as the former head of political security in Daraa, Syria, under Bashar al-Assad's regime. In 2011, Najib led the political security branch in Daraa.

That year, a group of teenagers in Daraa were tortured for spray-painting the slogan 'Your turn is coming, doctor,' a reference to Assad. Also in 2011, deadly gunfire was directed against demonstrators gathered in front of the Al-Omari mosque in Daraa. After the 2011 events, Najib was transferred to another region in Syria.

The cycle of protest and repression following the 2011 events led to 13 years of civil war. Le Monde reported that for the families of victims who have been demanding justice, it is the first sign of relief as justice finally gets underway.