A Syrian court convened on Sunday for the first hearing in proceedings involving ousted ruler Bashar Al-Assad and senior members of his former government, marking an initial step in what authorities describe as transitional justice efforts.
While Assad and his brother Maher al-Assad have left Syria and are expected to be tried in absentia, one former official from their circle appeared in court in person, reported the AFP news agency.
Atif Najib, a relative of the former president and ex-security officer, was brought before the court in handcuffs.
“Today we begin the first trials of transitional justice in Syria," said judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan as he opened the session.
“This includes a defendant in custody, present in the dock, as well as defendants who have fled justice," he added.
A judicial source, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said the case represents the opening phase of broader proceedings that may later include Assad, his brother, and other senior figures, including Najib.
Najib, who was detained in January 2025 following the collapse of the Assad government, appeared in a striped prison uniform at the Damascus courthouse.
He previously headed the political security branch in Daraa province in southern Syria, widely regarded as the location where the 2011 uprising against Assad’s rule first began.
Authorities accuse him of leading a wide-ranging campaign of arrests and repression in the region.
Assad was ousted by rebels in December of 2024 and fled to Moscow, leaving behind senior officials and security personnel.
Some are believed to have left the country, while others reportedly sought refuge in the coastal region long considered a stronghold of the Alawite community associated with Assad’s rule.