Overview
- The Damascus court, which opened to the public Sunday, put ex-security chief Atef Najib in the dock and scheduled a May 10 follow-up.
- Najib faces charges described as crimes against the Syrian people for the 2011 Daraa crackdown that helped trigger nationwide revolt.
- Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher are charged in absentia after fleeing to Russia, and judges say proceedings will continue without them.
- Authorities highlighted Friday's arrest of Amjad Yousef, accused in the 2013 Tadamon massacre, as part of a broader push for accountability.
- Families of victims packed the courthouse as officials framed the process as transitional justice, while the first hearing stayed procedural and legal gaps such as the death penalty and absent international-crimes statutes drew scrutiny.