Who is Atef Najib, Assad cousin sentenced to death over Daraa crackdown?

A Syrian court has sentenced Atef Najib, the former security chief whose name became synonymous with the crackdown that helped ignite the 2011 uprising, to death for crimes against humanity.

Najib, a cousin of ousted president Bashar al-Assad, was convicted by the Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus on Tuesday over his role in the repression of protesters in the southern province of Daraa.

The court found him guilty of crimes including murder and torture, including the torture of children, and responsibility for killings during the 2011 crackdown.

Unlike Assad and several other former officials sentenced alongside him in absentia, Najib is in Syrian custody and appeared in court during his trial. His prosecution is one of the most significant involving a senior Assad-era security official since the former government was toppled in December 2024.

But who is Najib, and why has his name been associated with the beginning of Syria's uprising for more than 15 years?

Who is Atef Najib?

Najib, 66, is a former brigadier general and cousin of Bashar al-Assad through the former president's mother, Anisa Makhlouf.

He served in several branches of Syria's powerful Political Security Directorate before becoming its chief in Daraa, where he was accused of corruption, extortion and abuse of power. Syrian records show he previously served in Political Security branches in Damascus and Tartous.

But it was his role in the events of March 2011 that made him one of the most notorious figures of Assad's security establishment.

What happened in Daraa?

Najib's grip on Daraa was such that he reportedly used the phrase “I am God in Daraa” to describe his authority over the province.

In March 2011, a group of schoolchildren were detained after anti-government slogans were painted on their school walls in Daraa.

The children were allegedly tortured in detention, including accusations that their fingernails were pulled out. Najib, then head of Political Security in Daraa, became one of the officials blamed for their treatment and for the authorities' response to demands for their release.

When families and local dignitaries appealed for the children to be freed, accounts from Daraa say Najib responded with insults and threats, further inflaming anger.

Protesters soon began chanting against him and demanding his removal.

Demonstrations erupted in Daraa on 18 March 2011, and security forces opened fire on protesters. The unrest quickly spread across Syria, transforming local anger into a nationwide uprising against Assad's rule.

The government's violent suppression of those protests eventually developed into a devastating war that killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.

Najib was subsequently removed from Daraa and transferred to Idlib. The US sanctioned him in April 2011 over human rights abuses, followed by European sanctions the following month.

How was Najib caught?

Najib largely disappeared from public view during the war, but resurfaced following Assad's overthrow in December 2024.

Syrian security forces arrested him near al-Haffah in Latakia province on 31 January 2025, making him one of the most senior former security officials captured by the new authorities.

His public trial began in Damascus in April 2026.

The court heard evidence linking Najib to the interrogation and torture of detainees, the security campaign against civilians and the storming of Daraa's Omari Mosque, which became an early centre of the uprising.

Najib denied the accusations. The presiding judge said he showed no remorse or offered an apology when confronted by victims during the proceedings.

Why does his conviction matter?

Najib's conviction is one of the first major tests of Syria's attempts to hold senior Assad-era officials accountable for abuses committed under the former government.

Its symbolism is particularly powerful because of his connection to Daraa.

The arrest and alleged torture of the schoolchildren, followed by the government's violent response to demonstrations demanding their release, are widely regarded as among the events that triggered the Syrian uprising.

Najib is also unusual among the senior former officials now facing Syrian justice because he is actually in custody. Assad, his brother Maher and other defendants sentenced on Tuesday were tried in absentia.

For Syria's transitional authorities, the case therefore represents more than the prosecution of one former security chief. It is an early indication of how the country intends to confront the abuses of the Assad era and deliver justice for their victims.