Who is Atef Najib, former Syrian official sentenced to death with al-Assad?

What the report says

A Syrian court in Damascus has sentenced former security official Atef Najib to death, along with ousted president Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher al-Assad, in a case tied to the violent crackdown on protests in Deraa in 2011. Al Jazeera reported that the Fourth Criminal Court found the acts committed by al-Assad’s government in Deraa amounted to crimes against humanity. Najib was the only one of the three physically present for trial; the others were sentenced in absentia.

According to the report, Najib is Bashar al-Assad’s first cousin and previously headed political security in Deraa province, a post he held when the first anti-government protests emerged. He was accused of helping oversee arrests, torture, killings and other abuses connected to the early uprising. His case included at least 10 charges, among them murder, torture and responsibility for a massacre in Deraa. The proceedings began on April 26, and the court issued its final ruling on Tuesday.

The article says Najib was detained in Syria in January 2025 after returning to the country following the collapse of the Assad government in December 2024. His sentencing is being described as a major moment for Syria’s transitional justice process, because it is the first court decision against a senior Assad-era figure under the current authorities. Human rights advocates and analysts cited in the report say the case may set an important precedent for future accountability efforts tied to wartime abuses and forced disappearances.