Trial of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad begins in Damascus

The trial of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and several associates began on Sunday in a Syrian court. Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher, who fled the country following the collapse of their regime in December 2024, are being tried in absentia. Atef Najib, a cousin of the former president and former head of political security in Daraa, was the only defendant present in the courtroom. Najib was arrested in January 2025 and is accused of leading a campaign of repression and arrests during the civil war that began in March 2011. Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Arian announced that these proceedings are part of a transitional justice process in Syria. The case also concerns other high-ranking figures associated with the previous regime. The next hearing for the case is scheduled for May 10.