Syria Begins Public Trial of Atif Najib in Damascus as Bashar al-Assad Appears In Absentia

Syria began its first public trial of senior figures from the deposed Bashar al-Assad regime in Damascus, with the case centered on Atif Najib, the former head of the Political Security Directorate for the Daraa Governorate.

Al Jazeera reported that a judge of the Damascus Criminal Court postponed the trial of Atif Najib and several figures from the former regime to May 10, describing it as part of the first cases in Syria's transitional justice path.

Al Jazeera

The trial began amid tight security and local and international media presence, with families of victims arriving from several governorates led by Daraa, while security forces spread out and roadblocks were placed on routes to the courthouse.

Al Jazeera said Najib was transferred to the Damascus Courthouse and appeared in the dock wearing a striped prison uniform inside a security vehicle designated for transporting detainees.

The same Al Jazeera account said Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher were called in absentia as defendants in the case moments before the session began.

France 24, citing a criminal judge Fakhr al-Din al-Arian, reported that the first in-absentia session opened for Bashar al-Assad and Maher alongside an in-person trial for security and military officials including Atif Najeeb.

France 24 also reported that the judge announced the Sunday session was dedicated to "administrative and legal procedures related to preparation" and set a second trial session on May 10, while reading out names of other symbols from the previous era.

Multiple outlets linked the charges against Atif Najib to the 2011 Daraa crackdown that followed the arrest and torture of teenagers after anti-government graffiti on a school wall.

South China Morning Post said Atef Najib was head of the Political Security Branch in southern Syria’s Daraa province under Assad and faced charges related to “crimes against the Syrian people,” as reported by the state-run news agency SANA.

Al-Jazeera Net

The same report said Najib was in that position in 2011 when teenagers who scrawled anti-government graffiti on a school wall in Daraa were arrested and tortured, and that the case became a catalyst for mass protests against the repressive policies of Assad’s government security forces.

Al Jazeera described Najib as a close relative of Bashar al-Assad who previously served as head of the Political Security Directorate in Daraa, the southern region that witnessed the start of protests in 2011, and said he was accused of being responsible for a crackdown and widespread arrests of protesters in the early phase of the revolution.

Roya News similarly said Najib was widely known for his role in the 2011 arrest and torture of teenagers in Daraa who had written anti-government graffiti on a school wall, and that the incident became one of the key triggers of the Syrian uprising.

France 24 reported that Najib had previously headed the Political Security Directorate in Daraa, where the spark of the protests in 2011 began, and was considered responsible for a crackdown and wide-scale arrests in the province.

The National Commission for Transitional Justice, as described by Al-شرق, said the trial comes as part of addressing crimes and grave violations, and as part of accountability, achieving justice, and strengthening the rule of law.

The trial drew attention not only for the defendant but for how the court framed the process and how victims’ families reacted inside the courtroom.

“A judge of the Damascus Criminal Court postponed the trial of Atif Najib, the head of the Political Security Directorate for the Daraa Governorate, and several figures from the former regime, to May 10 of the coming May, as part of the first cases in Syria's transitional justice path”

Al-Jazeera Net

Al Jazeera quoted a spokesperson for the Syrian Ministry of Justice saying the trial came after “all the necessary legal procedures had been completed,” adding that holding the trial publicly is part of strengthening transparency and judicial independence within the transitional justice phase.

The spokesperson told Al Jazeera Mubasher’s correspondent that “this type of case requires time to collect evidence and testimonies and to complete the legal process,” and said the session represents the beginning of a series of trials that will not stop.

Al Jazeera also described how families of victims attended, with some confirming they had come from Daraa as blood heirs seeking justice, while others called for Atif Najib to be hanged in the Omari Mosque Square in Daraa.

The National Commission for Transitional Justice, as reported by Al-شرق, said the trial is part of accountability and strengthening the rule of law, and Al-شرق said the session included the Syrian Attorney General Hassan al-Turba.

Al-شرق reported that Judge Fakhreddin Al-Arian said the session was part of preparations ahead of a decision regarding fugitives and that the next session on May 10 would involve questioning Atef Najib, hearing prosecutors and witnesses, and sessions for defense lawyers.

France 24 added that under the Syrian Code of Criminal Procedure, the absentia path allows the Court of Criminal to proceed against defendants who are not in custody or are fugitives, after notifying them and giving them time to respond.

While all the reports described the start of Syria’s first public trial of Assad-era officials in Damascus, they emphasized different aspects of the proceedings and the broader political context.

Al Jazeera focused on the court mechanics and security posture, describing roadblocks, thorough searches at the courthouse, and Najib’s appearance in a striped prison uniform, while also reporting that Bashar al-Assad and Maher were called in absentia and that the trial was postponed to May 10.

Al-Jazeera Net

South China Morning Post emphasized the historical trigger for the case, saying the teenagers arrested and tortured in 2011 after anti-government graffiti in Daraa became a catalyst for mass protests that spiralled into a 14-year civil war ended by Assad’s ousting in December 2024.

The National and TRT World both framed the start as the beginning of a transitional justice process, with The National quoting Justice Minister Mazhar Al Wais saying the opening trials carry “symbolic and national significance” and calling Deraa the “cradle of the Syrian revolution and the starting point of events that reshaped the country,” while TRT World quoted the justice ministry official’s AFP account that “The first trial sessions for symbolic former Syrian regime figures will begin on Sunday.”

France 24 highlighted the legal structure of absentia, reporting that the judge announced administrative and legal preparation and set a second session on May 10, and also listing other detained officials and symbols from the previous era.

Al-شرق, by contrast, provided a courtroom roster detail, saying the indictment included nine officials including Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher al-Assad on charges of murder and torture, while Atef Najib was the only defendant present in the dock during the session.

Roya News added a timeline detail, saying Syrian authorities arrested Najib in January 2025 in rural Latakia where he was reportedly in hiding, and it described the trial as occurring after the fall of Assad’s government in late 2024.

The sources describe the trial as the start of a broader transitional justice effort that will extend beyond Atif Najib, with additional defendants and follow-on sessions scheduled.

Al Jazeera said the session represents the beginning of a series of trials that will not stop, involving a number of those implicated in grave violations, and it reported that the next step in the Najib case would come on May 10.

Anadolu Ajansi

France 24 reported that the judge announced a second trial session on May 10 and said the in-person trials will include Wasim al-Assad, the former Grand Mufti Badr al-Din Hassoun, and other military and security officials detained by the new authorities.

The National said the opening trials will feature officials implicated in offences in Deraa, and it described Atif Najib as arrested in January last year and as a cousin of Bashar al-Assad who is also on a US Treasury sanctions list.

The National also reported that the Interior Ministry announced the arrest of Amjad Yousef, the chief suspect in the 2013 Tadamon massacre, and it said Tom Barrack, the US special envoy for Syria, welcomed the arrest in a post on X as an important step towards accountability.

TRT World and Kurdistan24 both said trials would follow for Wassim al-Assad and Amjad Youssef, and they also mentioned “pilots who took part in bombing Syrian cities and towns” as part of the expected targets.

Al-شرق added that Judge Fakhreddin Al-Arian said the court will accept any new complaints against the defendants and that a witness protection program will be applied for those who wish to keep their names private or avoid appearing in the media.