Assad’s cousin appears for 2nd time before Syrian court over human rights abuses

Atef Najib, a cousin of ousted President Bashar al-Assad and former political security chief in Syria's Daraa city, appeared on Sunday for the second time before the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus in his trial on human rights abuses against civilians.

The SANA news agency said the session was attended by families of the victims, members of the National Commission for Transitional Justice, and representatives of international organizations.

Al-Ikhbariya television said Najib was presented with an indictment, including the premeditated murder of more than one person, including children, torture leading to death, aggression, and money laundering.

He was also charged with "using arrest as a means of extortion, issuing direct orders for killing and torture, and committing crimes of deprivation of liberty," it added.

The first session was held on April 26.

No date has been set for the new session.

Najib, who was arrested in January last year, is accused of being one of the first to carry out violations against civilians in Daraa, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising.

He is also blamed for the arrest and torture of children in Daraa who had written anti-regime slogans on walls, an incident that sparked initial protests in Syria.

In December 2024, Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia, bringing an end to the Baath Party's decades of rule that began in 1963. A transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January 2025.