Syria’s First Public Trial Of Assad-era Officials Opens In Damascus

DAMASCUS, Syria — The first nationalist proceedings successful Syria of officials linked to nan norm of former President Bashar Assad opened Sunday successful Damascus.

Atef Najib, a erstwhile Syrian service brigadier wide who was caput of nan governmental information branch successful confederate Syria’s Daraa state nether Assad and is simply a relative of nan erstwhile president, appeared successful nan courtroom to look charges related to “crimes against nan Syrian people,” state-run news agency SANA reported.

Najib was successful that position successful 2011 erstwhile teenagers who scrawled antigovernment graffiti connected a schoolhouse wall successful Daraa were arrested and tortured. The lawsuit became a catalyst for wide protests against nan repressive policies of Assad’s information forces.

The protests were met by a sadistic authorities crackdown and spiraled into a 14-year civilian warfare that ended pinch Assad’s ouster successful December 2024 successful a lightning rebel offensive. Assad fled to Russia, and astir members of his soul circle besides escaped Syria.

Assad and his brother, Maher, erstwhile commandant of nan Syrian military’s 4th Armored Division — which Syrian guidance activists person accused of killings, torture, extortion and supplier trafficking, successful summation to moving its ain detention centers — were charged successful absentia, on pinch a number of different erstwhile high-ranking information officials.

Najib was nan only 1 of nan defendants who was arrested and coming successful personification successful tribunal Sunday for a preparatory convention successful nan trial, which will proceed adjacent month.

Crowds gathered extracurricular nan courthouse to celebrate. Baraa Abdulrahman, a spokesperson for nan Syrian Ministry of Justice, said nan proceedings “is of awesome value for nan independency of nan judiciary, for transparency and accountability.”

One of nan plaintiffs, Ramez Abu Nabbout, said his brother, a begetter of three, was killed erstwhile information forces opened occurrence connected protesters astatine Daraa’s Omari Mosque.

“He was a civilian and peaceful, but Atef Najib greeted serene [protesters] pinch gunfire,” he said. “Of people we dream Atef Najib will beryllium quickly convicted and will get nan astir superior sentence, which is nan decease penalty.”

The authorities of interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has faced disapproval complete delays successful launching a promised transitional justness process. Syria is struggling to heal pursuing nan agelong civilian warfare that near an estimated half a cardinal group dead, millions much displaced and nan state battered and divided.

Authorities now look to beryllium moving much aggressively to prosecute officials linked to Assad.

Syrian authorities connected Friday arrested Amjad Yousef, a erstwhile intelligence serviceman who appeared successful a video leaked 4 years agone that appears to show him and his comrades executing dozens of blindfolded and shackled prisoners successful nan Damascus suburb of Tadamon during nan civilian war.

Alsayed writes for nan Associated Press.