Syria: First Assad-Era Verdicts a Test for Justice

Click to expand Image Atef Najib during a trial session at the Palace of Justice in Damascus, Syria, April 26, 2026. © 2026 AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed (Amman) – A Syrian court’s first verdicts for crimes committed during the Assad era raise important legal issues the government should urgently address, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch released a question-and-answer document on the trial of Atef Najib, former head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa, who was convicted on Augus