Atef Najib, a former senior Syrian security official and cousin of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, was sentenced to death by a court in Damascus on Tuesday for his role in the crackdown that helped ignite Syria’s uprising in 2011.
in a case that marked the first convictions against the former president and members of his inner circle since the Assad family’s more than five-decade rule ended in December 2024.
Unlike and Maher, who were tried in absentia, Najib was present in court. He was detained by Syrian security forces in early 2025 and is among the highest-ranking former Assad-era officials to face trial in Syria.
Who is Atef Najib?
Najib is a former Syrian army brigadier general who headed the Political Security Branch in Daraa, in southern Syria, in 2011. He is also a maternal cousin of .
His tenure in Daraa coincided with the beginning of the uprising against Assad’s government. The city became the focal point of protests after a group of teenagers were arrested and allegedly tortured for writing anti-government graffiti on a school wall.
The incident became one of the early catalysts for the nationwide protests that eventually developed into Syria’s devastating civil war.
Role in the Daraa crackdown
Najib was accused of overseeing the security crackdown in Daraa as protests spread across the province.
More than a dozen teenagers were arrested after writing slogans critical of the government on a school wall. Accounts from activists and former detainees said the children were tortured while in custody.
The arrests triggered anger among residents and helped fuel demonstrations demanding political reforms and an end to the Assad government’s repression.
The government’s response was a violent crackdown, which eventually escalated into a nationwide armed conflict.
Najib was convicted by the Damascus court of premeditated murder and torture, with prosecutors also linking his actions to the broader crimes committed during the conflict.
Death sentence
Judge Fakhareddine al-Aryan announced the death sentence against Najib during a court session broadcast on state television.
Najib stood inside a cage wearing a prison uniform as the verdict was read.
The judge said Najib could appeal the sentence.
