Syrian courts issued their first verdicts in August 2026 for crimes committed under former president Bashar al-Assad, opening a long-sought accountability process that has also raised questions about fair trial guarantees and the use of capital punishment.
On 11 August, a court convicted Atef Najib, the former head of the Political Security Branch in Daraa, along with Assad himself and six other defendants tried in absentia. All eight were sentenced to death. A week later, on 18 August, a court convicted Wassim al-Assad, a cousin of the former president, of serious crimes and also sentenced him to death. A verdict was expected on 24 August in the trial of Ahmad Hassoun, Syria’s former grand mufti and its highest Sunni religious authority.
A limited public record
Accessible public information about the three cases has been sparse. Parts of the proceedings were livestreamed, and some media outlets and civil society organizations were permitted to monitor the hearings in person. Syrian authorities have said they will publish the full written verdicts.
Human Rights Watch, which was among the organizations allowed to observe, released a question-and-answer document on the Najib trial covering access to counsel and other fair trial concerns, the imposition of the death penalty, and the need for legal reform in future proceedings. The group said the verdicts raise important legal issues that the government should urgently address, and that it opposes the death penalty in all circumstances because of its inherent cruelty and irreversibility.
What the courts are being asked to change
“Prosecuting Assad-era atrocities is an important opportunity to achieve the justice Syrians have sought for over a decade,” said Balkees Jarrah, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “At the same time, the trials so far highlight an urgent need for reforms to ensure that Syria’s justice system can deliver fair, meaningful, and comprehensive accountability.”
The organization urged Syrian authorities to bring the legal system in line with international standards for the effective investigation and prosecution of serious international crimes, to guarantee fair trial rights, and to make criminal proceedings transparent and accessible. Those reforms, it said, should draw on expertise that Syrian and international human rights groups have built up over years of documenting abuses.
“Advancing justice for the litany of serious crimes committed in Syria requires more than just convictions, but building a system that can deliver competent, impartial, and independent justice,” Jarrah said.
This report was produced by the HuMedia newsroom.
