Syria's judiciary has charged Atef Najib, a cousin of former President Bashar al-Assad, with acts 'amounting to war crimes' for allegedly orchestrating a brutal crackdown on peaceful protests in 2011 that spiraled into a devastating civil war.

During a court session in Damascus on Sunday, Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan read out the charges, accusing Najib, then head of political security in Daraa province, of direct and joint responsibility for systematic attacks on civilians, including killing, torture, and arbitrary detention.

The judge detailed alleged crimes such as the arrest and torture of children, opening fire on a sit-in at a mosque in Daraa, and fatal torture in detention facilities run by Najib's security forces. Najib was described as the 'ultimate authority' in Daraa at the time.

Najib is the most senior former regime official to face trial in person. Former President Assad, his brother Maher, and other top officials are being tried in absentia, believed to have fled to Russia after the government's collapse in December 2024.

The 2011 protests in Daraa, sparked by the arrest of 15 students for anti-government graffiti, led to over 13 years of civil war. The Assad regime fell in late 2024 after a lightning offensive by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has faced pressure to accelerate legal proceedings against former regime members. Syria plans to hold presidential elections within five years of Assad's fall.

Source: www.dw.com