Atef Najib, former head of the Political Security Branch in the Daraa area during Bashar Assad’s rule, sits in the defendants’ cage during a trial session at the Palace of Justice in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, April 26, 2026.
| Photo Credit: AP
A Syrian court conducted the first hearing on Sunday (April 26, 2026) in the trial of ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad and senior figures from his government, one of whom appeared in person.
Assad and his brother Maher have fled Syria and will be tried in absentia, but one of their relatives, former security official Atef Najib, was in the dock in handcuffs.
Published – April 26, 2026 10:54 pm IST