Damascus opens first public trial against Assad-era official Atef Najib.

Damascus has opened its first public trial targeting officials from the era of Bashar al-Assad, marking a significant development fifteen years after the onset of the civil war. The proceedings commenced on Sunday in the capital against Atef Najib, the former head of political security in Deraa province. According to Syria's state-run news agency, SANA, Najib faces charges of "crimes against the Syrian people."

Najib, a cousin of President Bashar al-Assad, stands as the sole defendant in this preparatory session, with the trial scheduled to continue next month. He is accused of overseeing a violent suppression of demonstrators in Deraa during the 2011 uprising. The Justice Ministry's spokesman, speaking to Al Jazeera Mubasher, emphasized that conducting the trial publicly is essential to guarantee transparency and judicial independence as part of the nation's transitional justice process.

The gravity of the situation is underscored by the specific details of the case against Najib. He held authority in Deraa when teenagers were arrested and tortured for scrawling anti-government graffiti on a school wall, an incident that served as a catalyst for the wider revolt. These early protests were met with a brutal government crackdown, escalating into a fourteen-year conflict that concluded in December 2024 with a lightning rebel offensive that ousted al-Assad. Following his fall, the former president fled to Russia, and most of his inner circle has similarly escaped Syria.

While the interim government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa has faced criticism for delays in initiating a promised transitional justice process following a war that claimed an estimated half a million lives, authorities now appear to be advancing more aggressively against former regime officials. Alongside Najib, other high-ranking security figures are charged in absentia. These include al-Assad and his brother, Maher, the former commander of the Syrian military's 4th Armoured Division. They, along with others, are accused of killings, torture, extortion, and drug trafficking.

The atmosphere outside the court on Sunday reflected a sense of celebration among crowds, while families of victims, including several from Deraa, attended the session. This momentum extends beyond Najib's case; on Friday, Syrian authorities arrested former intelligence officer Amjad Yousef, the primary suspect in the 2013 Tadamon massacre in Damascus, in which at least 41 people were killed. In 2022, a leaked video surfaced appearing to show Yousef shooting detained civilians who were blindfolded and had their hands bound, further illustrating the alleged brutality of the former regime's security apparatus.