Syria Intensifies Prosecutions of Former Regime Officials in Accountability Drive

Syria’s new authorities have intensified legal and security actions against figures linked to the former regime, reopening high-profile trials and arresting a former chemical weapons officer. The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus convened a second public hearing for Wassim al-Assad, a relative of former president Bashar al-Assad, facing charges including forming armed groups and drug trafficking. Prosecutors presented evidence including documents and video material.

In a parallel case, the same court held a fifth hearing for Atef Najib, another cousin of Bashar al-Assad and former head of the Political Security branch in Daraa. Najib is accused of crimes including the arrest and torture of schoolchildren who wrote anti-government graffiti in 2011, an incident widely seen as a catalyst for the Syrian uprising.

The Interior Ministry also announced the arrest of former Colonel Ahmad Habib Ali in Latakia province, who specialized in chemical weapons and allegedly oversaw the production of sarin-filled bombs used in attacks in 2013 and 2017. The ministry said the investigation is ongoing.

Human rights organizations have urged the authorities to ensure fair and transparent trials, warning that delays in creating a comprehensive transitional justice framework risk deepening social fractures.

Article and image source: syrianobserver.com