Syria: trial opens against former president Bashar al-Assad and his entourage

Monday 27 April 2026 - 07:45

The first hearing in the trial of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and key figures from his inner circle was held on Sunday in a Syrian court, marking a significant step in the country’s transitional justice process.

The session took place in Damascus, with one defendant physically present in court. Assad and his brother Maher al-Assad, who fled Syria following the collapse of their regime in December 2024, are being tried in absentia. However, a relative, Atef Najib, appeared in court in handcuffs and prison attire.

“Today, we are launching the first trials under Syria’s transitional justice framework,” said Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan at the opening of the hearing. He clarified that the proceedings involve both a detained defendant and others who have evaded justice.

The session focused on preliminary legal and administrative procedures, with no questioning of Najib. A second hearing has been scheduled for May 10.

The defendants face charges related to abuses committed during the Syrian civil war, which began in March 2011 after the violent suppression of pro-democracy protests. Najib, a former head of political security in Daraa, is accused of leading a widespread campaign of repression and arrests in the region, considered the birthplace of the uprising.

The current Syrian president, Ahmed al-Chareh, stated that achieving justice remains a central priority for the state and its institutions.

According to judicial sources, other prominent figures linked to the former regime are also expected to stand trial. These include Wassim al-Assad and Amjad Youssef, the latter accused of involvement in a 2013 massacre.

The fall of Bashar al-Assad and his subsequent flight to Moscow ended more than five decades of uninterrupted rule by his family over Syria.

The conflict, which lasted 13 years, left over half a million people dead and devastated much of the country. Government forces carried out extensive bombardments of opposition-held areas, while tens of thousands of people were reported missing, many believed to have been detained in prisons.