Fourth hearing held in Damascus trial of former Syrian brigadier Atif Najib

DAMASCUS, Syria — A Damascus criminal court held the fourth hearing in the trial of Atif Najib, a former brigadier general and one-time head of the Political Security Branch in the southern Syrian city of Deraa. The session, held at the Fourth Criminal Court, was conducted behind closed doors to allow the testimony of public witnesses. According to Syria's state news agency SANA, representatives of international and human rights organizations attended the hearing. The case against Najib opened on April 26, with the indictment accusing him of roles in the suppression of civilian protests in Deraa in 2011, torture and mistreatment of detained children, the use of disproportionate force, and the use of detention as a tool of blackmail. The investigation also attributes to Najib direct responsibility for orders to arrest and torture detainees and for the Umayyad Mosque massacre. Najib has denied all charges, arguing that responsibility for detentions and torture lay with other security branches, primarily the Military Security Branch of the period. The proceedings are being conducted under Syria's transitional justice framework. Former regime figures including Wasim al-Assad and Ahmed Houssoun are expected to face court in later stages of the process. No date has been given for the next hearing.