Syria’s Ministry of Justice announced that it has prepared the courtroom of Criminal Court No. 4 at the Damascus Palace of Justice in al-Hamidiyah, Damascus, where the trial of figures from the Assad regime will begin as part of the transitional justice process.
The ministry said on its Facebook page that Syrian Minister of Justice Mazhar al-Wais visited the Damascus Palace of Justice on Thursday, April 23, after part of the restoration work there was completed and the Criminal Court No. 4 courtroom was equipped.
In an invitation sent to Enab Baladi and media outlets, the trial of regime figures is scheduled to begin Sunday, April 26, at 9:30 a.m. The hearing will be “public.”
Atef Najib First
A judicial source, who asked not to be named, told Enab Baladi that the first trial hearing for figures from the ousted Assad regime will be held against Brig. Gen. Atef Najib, the former head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa (southern Syria), whose abuses against residents sparked the events and protests that began in the governorate in 2011.
The source said the first session of the public trial will be attended by diplomats and Arab and foreign figures.
The source expected that the next figure after the trial sessions of Atef Najib and the issuance of a verdict against him would be Wassim al-Assad, a relative of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Atef Najib’s Arrest
The General Security Directorate in Latakia governorate (western Syria) announced in late January 2025 the arrest of Brig. Gen. Atef Najib, who had served as head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa and whose abuses against residents sparked the events and protests that began in the governorate in 2011.
The director of General Security in Latakia, Mustafa Kneifati, said at the time that the General Security Directorate in Latakia, in cooperation with military forces, arrested Atef Najib in a special operation. He added that Najib was referred to the competent authorities to be tried and held accountable for his crimes against the Syrian people.
Who Is Atef Najib?
Atef Najib is Bashar al-Assad’s maternal cousin. He moved between several Political Security branches in Damascus and Tartus before eventually becoming head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa before the outbreak of the revolution.
Najib became widely known in 2011 after protests that formed the spark of the revolution, which continued in different forms for about 14 years in Syria. The protests began after a group of children in Daraa were arrested for writing slogans on walls that addressed Bashar al-Assad and suggested that change was also coming to Syria, including the phrase, “It’s your turn, doctor.”
After the children were detained, Daraa dignitaries demanded their release, but Atef Najib responded with insults, threats, and violations of their dignity and honor.
In a failed attempt to contain the situation, Bashar al-Assad formed an investigation committee in Daraa. He did not dismiss Atef Najib from his post, but transferred him to the Political Security Branch in Idlib (northwestern Syria). On June 13, 2011, the investigation committee issued a decision banning Najib and the then governor of Daraa, Faisal Kalthoum, from travel.
Atef Najib has been on the US sanctions list since April 29, 2011, and on European sanctions lists since May 9, 2011.
Assad’s limited moves regarding his relative did not calm public anger in Daraa. Demonstrations continued, and Assad chose a military crackdown. Tanks entered the streets of Daraa, and the army responded to protesters with live fire, causing the popular movement to spread to various Syrian governorates and eventually leading to Assad’s overthrow on December 8, 2024.
Wassim al-Assad’s Arrest
Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Nour al-Din al-Baba said in June 2025 that the security operation that led to the arrest of Wassim al-Assad, a relative of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, lasted six months and was carried out in cooperation with the General Intelligence Service.
The work proceeded along several tracks, including social engineering, a technical track, and a legal and human rights track, in addition to dimensions related to public relations and communication.
Speaking to al-Ikhbariya, al-Baba added that the Interior Ministry could not currently disclose the details of those tracks, noting that it was a “complex operation” involving multiple security and non-security specializations.
The operation began by luring him, after which the Interior Ministry’s competent executive bodies arrested him and took him to prison ahead of a fair trial, according to the spokesperson.
Nour al-Din al-Baba said the crimes committed by Wassim al-Assad were not only political, but that he also had a criminal record against the Syrian people, some of which was documented and widely circulated on social media. He noted that one of Wassim’s brothers had also previously been involved in seizing the al-Haram money transfer company years earlier, and was placed in Adra Prison at the time, but is now evading justice, which, al-Baba said, shows that the entire family practices crime and corruption.
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