ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian authorities on Sunday launched the first public trial of a senior figure from the former Assad regime, as Atef Najib appeared before a criminal court in Damascus over alleged crimes committed during the early days of the 2011 uprising.
Najib, a former brigadier general and former head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa province, is accused of crimes against the Syrian people, according to Syrian state media Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Sunday’s hearing focused mainly on procedural steps, with the court verifying his identity and scheduling the next session for May 10.
Najib is also a cousin of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.
The trial carries strong symbolic weight for many Syrians. Najib is widely associated with one of the incidents that helped spark the uprising against Bashar al-Assad’s rule. In March 2011, security forces in Daraa detained a group of teenagers after anti-government graffiti was found on school walls. Reports that the boys were tortured fueled protests that soon spread across the country.