- Crimes committed by al-Assad's government in Deraa province in 2011 amounted to crimes against humanity.
- Atef Najib was charged with at least 10 crimes, including murder, torture and responsibility for massacres.
- The Fourth Criminal Court sentenced Bashar al-Assad and Atef Najib to death.
- This marks the first decision by a Syrian court against a senior al-Assad-era figure under the current transitional authorities.
- According to the court ruling, Najib was involved in the torture of a large number of detainees and was responsible for the deaths of many of them during their detention.
Atef Najib, a former Syrian security official, has been sentenced to death alongside Bashar al-Assad for their involvement in the brutal crackdown on protesters in Deraa in 2011. The Fourth Criminal Court ruled that the actions of al-Assad's government constituted crimes against humanity.14
Najib, who oversaw political security in Deraa, was charged with at least 10 crimes, including murder and torture. The court found that he was responsible for the deaths of many detainees during their detention. This ruling is significant as it marks the first decision by a Syrian court against a senior al-Assad-era figure under the current transitional authorities.2356
The crackdown began when teenagers were arrested and tortured for scrawling anti-government graffiti, leading to widespread protests. Najib, 66, is the first cousin of Bashar al-Assad and has been in detention since January 2025, while the former president and his brother fled to Russia after the regime's fall in December 2024. The court's decision reflects a growing movement towards accountability for the atrocities committed during Syria's ongoing civil war.
This landmark ruling could pave the way for further legal actions against other officials involved in the regime's violent suppression of dissent, as the international community continues to scrutinize the actions of the Assad government during the conflict.
“The Fourth Criminal Court found the 2011 Deraa crackdown constituted crimes against humanity, with Najib charged with at least 10 crimes including murder and torture. This is the first Syrian court decision against a senior al-Assad-era figure under transitional authorities.”
