Damascus court puts first Assad-era official on trial

Syria Launches Public Trial of Former Official Atef Najib

A public trial for Atef Najib, the former head of political security in Deraa province, began on Sunday in Damascus. Najib is charged with crimes against the Syrian people, specifically related to a violent crackdown on protesters during the 2011 uprising.

Najib was the sole defendant in court for the preparatory session of the trial, which will continue next month. Other former high-ranking security officials are also charged in absentia, including Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher, who is accused of various crimes such as killings, torture, extortion, and drug trafficking.

The trial marks a significant development in Syria’s transitional justice process, with the Justice Ministry stating that holding the trial in public ensures transparency and judicial independence. The case involves Najib’s role in overseeing the arrest and torture of teenagers who scrawled antigovernment graffiti on a school wall in Deraa.

The trial comes 15 years after the start of the civil war, which resulted in an estimated half a million deaths. Authorities have faced criticism for delays in launching a transitional justice process, but appear to be moving forward with prosecutions linked to al-Assad’s regime.

In recent weeks, Syrian authorities have arrested several former officials, including Amjad Yousef, who is accused of the 2013 Tadamon massacre in Damascus. A leaked video from 2022 appeared to show Yousef shooting civilians while they were detained and blindfolded. The trial of Najib and other officials marks a significant step forward in Syria’s efforts to hold those responsible for human rights abuses accountable.

Source: Al Jazeera