Atef Najib faces at least 10 charges in landmark Syria trial

The relative of erstwhile President Bashar al-Assad faces charges that see murder, torture and work for massacres.

A relative of toppled Syrian person Bashar al-Assad has been charged with astatine slightest 10 crimes, including murder, torture and work for massacres, successful the 2nd league of a landmark trial.

Atef Najib, the erstwhile caput of governmental information successful confederate Syria’s Deraa province, appeared successful the Fourth Criminal Court successful Damascus connected Sunday successful a cage and wearing a striped situation uniform.

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He is accused of overseeing a convulsive crackdown connected antigovernment protesters successful Deraa during the 2011 uprising, which sparked Syria’s 14-year civilian war. Al Jazeera Mubasher’s analogous said 75 plaintiffs person filed cases against Najib and are expected to springiness grounds successful court.

Attending the league were relatives of victims, members of the National Transitional Justice Commission and representatives of planetary ineligible and humanitarian organisations. After an unfastened league lasting astir an hour, the tribunal entered a closed league for the extortion of immoderate witnesses.

Najib archetypal appeared successful tribunal connected April 26 for a preparatory session, but Sunday was the archetypal substantive time of his trial. The proceedings people the archetypal effort successful Syria to bring Assad-era officials to justice.

Al-Assad and his member Maher, erstwhile commandant of the Syrian military’s 4th Armoured Division, are being tried successful absentia. Al-Assad fled to Russia successful December 2024, and astir members of his interior ellipse person besides escaped Syria.

The authorities of interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has faced disapproval implicit delays successful launching a promised transitional justness process aft the war, successful which an estimated fractional a cardinal radical were killed. But authorities present look to beryllium moving much aggressively to prosecute officials linked to al-Assad.

Najib oversaw governmental information successful Deraa erstwhile teenagers who scrawled antigovernment graffiti connected a schoolhouse partition were arrested and tortured. The lawsuit became a catalyst for a broader uprising.

The Ministry of Interior’s General Security forces arrested Najib successful January 2025 during a information run targeting remnants of the erstwhile authorities successful Latakia province. His apprehension was considered 1 of the astir important detentions of erstwhile information officials due to the fact that helium held a delicate information presumption successful Deraa astatine the opening of the Syrian uprising.