Syria Opens Landmark Trial of Assad Allies for War Crimes

Syria commenced its first public trial of officials from the Bashar al-Assad era on Sunday in Damascus. Atef Najib, the former head of political security in Deraa province, appeared in court in handcuffs to face charges of "crimes against the Syrian people." Najib is also a cousin of the former president.

Assad and his brother Maher, former commander of the Syrian military’s 4th Armored Division, were charged in absentia, as were other former high-ranking security officials. Assad and his brother are believed to have fled to Russia after Assad's government was ousted in December 2024 after a 14-year civil war. Opposition activists accuse the 4th Armored Division of killings, torture, extortion, drug trafficking, and running its own detention centers.

Najib previously headed Syria's Political Security Branch in Deraa, where the 2011 uprising began. He was arrested in January 2025. He is accused of leading a campaign of repression and arrests in the region.

Najib oversaw political security in Deraa in 2011 when teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a school wall were arrested and tortured. This case became a catalyst for mass protests against Assad’s government. The protests spiraled into a 14-year civil war.

Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said, "Today we begin the first trials of transitional justice in Syria." The government of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has faced criticism over delays in launching the promised transitional justice process. The civil war left an estimated half a million people dead, with millions more displaced.

Najib was not questioned during Sunday's brief session, which was dedicated to "preparatory administrative and legal procedures." Another hearing has been scheduled for May 10. Wassim Assad, Ahmed Badreddin Hassoun, and other military and security officials arrested by the new authorities will also face in-person trials.

Crowds gathered outside the courthouse to celebrate, waving flags and jostling for entry. Police were present to keep order. A spokesman for Syria’s Justice Ministry told Al Jazeera Mubasher that holding the trial in public was important to ensure transparency and judicial independence.

On Friday, Syrian authorities arrested former intelligence officer Amjad Yousef, the main suspect accused of the 2013 Tadamon massacre in Damascus, when at least 41 people were killed. A leaked video from 2022 appeared to show Youssef shooting civilians who had been detained and blindfolded, with their hands bound.