First trial of senior Al Assad official begins in Syria; former ruler also faces charges
May 11, 2026
Damascus [Syria], May 11: A cousin of Bashar Al Assad has become the first high-ranking official of Syria's ousted dictator to stand trial, being formally charged at a criminal court in Damascus on Sunday.
There are hopes that the trial of former Brigadier Atef Najib, which began with a hearing in late April, will bring some reckoning for the atrocities committed under Assad's brutal rule. Assad was overthrown during an offensive by militias in December 2024 and fled into exile in Russia. Assad is also facing charges in the trial. As the former head of security in the southern city of Daraa, Najib is accused of crimes against the Syrian people, including "systematic mass murder". (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune
