Syria: First Assad-Era Verdicts a Test for Justice

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What the source reports

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 August 11, 2026, along…

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Source & verification

Primary source: Human Rights Watch News · August 23, 2026

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