Syria Opens First Public Trials Of Bashar Al-Assad Figures In Damascus Criminal Court

Syria began its first public trials of emblematic figures from the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime as the transitional justice process opened with hearings in Damascus.

“The fourth session of the trial of the former head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa Province, Atif Najib, who is accused of committing abuses against Syrians, began today, Tuesday, at the Damascus Courthouse, before the Fourth Criminal Court”

Al-Jazeera Net

The first public trial hearings included Atif Najib, described as the former head of political security in Deraa and a cousin of Bashar al-Assad, and the Damascus Criminal Court was identified as the venue for the proceedings.

Al-Jazeera Net

A judicial source cited by rts.ch said the second hearing would take place on May 10, while RTBF reported Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan opened the hearing and said it concerned a detainee in custody and defendants who had evaded justice.

In parallel, the National Commission for Transitional Justice in Syria announced new trials for accused individuals, with Radeef Mustafa saying trials would start against Abdul Nasser Barak and with a new session for Atef Najib scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday).

As the trial process moved through sessions, Al-Jazeera Net said the fourth session of Atif Najib’s trial began Tuesday at the Damascus Courthouse before the Fourth Criminal Court and was devoted to hearing the statements of prosecution witnesses.

The Syrian Ministry of Justice said the court confronted Atif Najib’s denial of the charges with testimonies that included direct facts and details relating to the criminal acts under investigation, according to Al-Jazeera Net.

JusticeInfo.net

In a separate account of the opening day, RTBF reported that Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan did not question Atef Najib during the session dedicated to preparatory administrative and legal procedures, and announced that a second hearing would be held on May 10.

SANA reported that the first public hearing opened Sunday morning with the appearance of Atif Najib before the Fourth Criminal Chamber of the Palace of Justice in Damascus, and that the hearing concluded with the setting of next Sunday, May 10, as the date for the second session.

Beyond Atif Najib, the transitional justice process described by upday News and rts.ch included other defendants and categories of accused figures, including Wassim al-Assad, Amjad Youssef, and pilots accused of bombing Syrian cities.

“The defendants must, among other things, answer for exactions during the civil war sparked in March 2011 by the repression of pro-democracy protests”

RTBF

upday News said Wassim al-Assad was arrested in June and had been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury for leading a paramilitary unit and for drug trafficking, while Amjad Youssef was the principal suspect in a massacre carried out in 2013.

rts.ch reported that the fall and flight of Bashar al-Assad to Moscow ended more than five decades of uninterrupted rule by his clan over the country, and it also described the war as having killed more than half a million people.

In parallel, the National Commission for Transitional Justice in Syria said it would begin a new trial session for the accused Wasim al-Assad next Wednesday and schedule a first session for the trial of the former Mufti of the Assad regime Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, while SANA quoted President Ahmad al-Charaa saying, “Justice will remain one of the noblest values for which our people have committed themselves.”