Inside the Trial of Atef Najib et al. #4: The First Children of the Revolution Now Become its Witnesses

TRIAL OF ATEF NAJIB ET AL.

The Fourth Criminal Court – Damascus, Syria

Trial Monitoring Summary #4

Hearing Date: June 23, 2026

CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.

Note that this summary is not a verbatim transcript of the trial; it is merely an unofficial summary of the proceedings.

Throughout this summary, [information located in brackets are notes from our trial monitor] and “information placed in quotes are statements made by the witness, Judges or counsel.” The names and identifying information of witnesses have been redacted.

[Note: SJAC provides a summary of the proceedings while redacting certain details to protect witness privacy and to preserve the integrity of the trial.]

SJAC’s 4th trial monitoring report details day 4 of the trial of Atef Najib et al. in Damascus, Syria. On this trial day, ten witnesses testified in court, describing how they had been detained and tortured at the Political Security and Military Security branches. It was alleged that Atef Najib was present during the torture of some of them. As he did in previous hearings, the Accused denied the witnesses' accounts.

Day 4 – June 23, 2026

[Note: Media coverage was restricted to the media outlets of the Ministry of Justice only. The session was not broadcast because it was held in camera.]

The Accused, Atef Najib, was brought into the courtroom at 10:55AM. The Judges followed at 11:00AM, when the hearing of witnesses commenced. This constitutes the fourth session in Case No. (1) of 2026 against the Accused, Atef Najib.

The Accused Atef Najib appeared before the court, accompanied by his representative, Defense Counsel C1 [redacted name].

The Presiding Judge noted that the Accused, Atef Najib, had been granted a full opportunity during the previous session to state all details, and that it would be sufficient to state that he reaffirms his prior statements, which the Accused did.

The in-person and in-absentia trial proceedings commenced publicly.

Witness Testimony:

P20, [redacted name]

The Presiding Judge asked P20 whether he knew the Accused, Atef Najib, and whether there was any familial relationship or prior acquaintance with the Accused. P20 replied that he knew the Accused, but that there was no prior acquaintance or enmity between them before the incidents of 2011.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness to provide his testimony without addition or omission, whereupon P20 took the legal oath.

P20 began speaking about what happened at that time [i.e., during the 2011 incidents], stating that the incidents in Dar’a Al-Balad began with graffiti on walls reading, “It's your turn, Doctor.” He was arrested by [a joint patrol from] the Political Security Branch, Criminal Security, the Police, and the Military Security Branch. It was the Prophet’s Birthday in 2011, as he was arrested at 4:00AM. "All the children" [Note: P20 was a child at the time] were taken to Al-Balad police station, where torture began using the most horrific methods, including electric shocks, extraction of fingernails, and severe beatings. P20 noted that "all branches were subordinate to the Political Security Branch under the leadership of Atef Najib." When Atef Najib met them [i.e., when he met the detained children], he asked them to write a pledge [to not participate in demonstrations] and place their fingerprints on a paper whose content they did not know. Atef Najib then [ordered] their return to the holding cell, and Atef Najib's personnel continued torturing the children who were blindfolded.

The Prosecutor asked the Accused whether he accepted the testimony of P20. The Accused answered in the negative.

P18, [redacted name]

The Presiding Judge asked P18 whether he knew the Accused, Atef Najib, and whether there was any familial relationship or prior acquaintance with the Accused. P18 replied that he knew the Accused, but that there was no prior acquaintance or enmity between them before the incidents of 2011.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness to provide his testimony without addition or omission, whereupon P18 took the legal oath.

The witness testified that he was fifteen years old [when the incidents took place], and that he was one of the children who wrote the slogans on the walls. P18 added that he was arrested at 5:00AM, as his family had hidden him from security personnel who threatened his father with the arrest of the entire family unless they handed over P18. Therefore, his father was forced to hand him over, and he was taken by a joint patrol comprised of other security branches.

The Presiding Judge wanted to know how P18 knew that he was at the Political Security Branch. P18 answered that he knew one of the Political Security personnel named Abu Ali, who worked in the Studies Department at the Political Security Branch with Captain Jihad.

The witness was placed blindfolded in the police station under torture and severe, harsh, brutal beatings using pliers, and the Accused, Atef Najib, was in the torture room. The witness remained at the police station for approximately 48 hours, all under torture, and saw the Atef Najib in the office wearing a formal suit, a necklace, and a bracelet. At that time, the Accused insulted the witness with inappropriate profanities and asked him for the name of the entity that sent them — whether it was Jund Ash-Sham or Fateh Al-Islam — to which P18 answered that he knew neither of them. Afterwards, P18 was placed in the basement of the Political Security Branch, and then transferred to the Military Police, where they [i.e., the detained children] were forced to sign papers without knowing their content. [The children] placed their fingerprints on them because they could neither read nor write.

The Judge asked the Accused whether he accepted the testimony of P18. The Accused answered in the negative.

P19, [redacted name]

The Presiding Judge asked P19 whether he knew the Accused, Atef Najib, and whether there was any familial relationship or prior acquaintance with the Accused. P19 replied that he knew the Accused, but that there was no prior acquaintance or enmity between them before the incidents of 2011.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness to provide his testimony without addition or omission, whereupon P19 took the legal oath.

P19 testified that he was asleep when joint patrols from the Political Security Branch, Criminal Security, Military Security, and the station police entered the house, on February 14, 2011. The witness was transferred from the police station — where he remained for seven days under brutal torture — to the Political Security Branch, where he stayed for two or three days under torture, including severe beatings. The Accused was present during the torture. The witness did not know how to read or write at the time. The Accused began mocking P19, insulting him, and swearing at him. P19 remained there for a week and was subsequently released. As for those who were detained with him, they were taken to another place, Dar’a Central Prison.

The Judge asked the Accused whether he accepted the testimony of P19. The Accused answered in the negative.

P23, [redacted name]

The Presiding Judge asked P23 whether he knew the Accused, Atef Najib, and whether there was any familial relationship or prior acquaintance with the Accused. P23 replied that he knew the Accused, but that there was no prior acquaintance or enmity between them before the incidents of 2011.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness to provide his testimony without addition or omission, whereupon P23 took the legal oath.

P23 testified that he did not know the Accused previously, and that he was detained on February 19, 2011, because of slogans written on the walls reading, "It's your turn, Doctor." The patrol was led by Lo’ay Al-Ali from Military Security, accompanied by a captain from the Political Security Branch, as all security branches participated in the patrols.

The Presiding Judge wanted to know how P23 identified Lo’ay Al-Ali and the Captain. P23 answered that he had worked at the Branch before the uprising as a “concrete formwork carpenter” and used to see the Captain. P23 testified that when they arrived at the Military Security Branch, and before getting out of the car, Lo’ay Al-Ali discussed with one of the personnel whether they should bring him [i.e., P23] into the Branch or continue to the Political Security Branch. Therefore, they contacted Brigadier General Atef Najib, who told them to take P23 to the Military Security Branch, where he was placed in the basement — it was dawn at the time — and then was taken to the Political Security Branch [in Dar’a] blindfolded. The Captain came out with his personnel [from the Political Security Branch] and put Witness P23 in an olive-colored Chevrolet car, accompanied by four other cars, and they went to the "Sweida Branch." During interrogation [at the Sweida Branch], someone asked about P23's origin, to which one of the personnel replied that P23 was from Dar’a and had been transferred from the Political Security Branch [in Dar’a]. During the interrogation of P23, [he stated that the Political Security Branch was responsible for the incidents in Dar’a], so they altered his statements to make it the Military Security Branch [to deny the Political Security's responsibility and shift it onto Military Security]. Subsequently, the witness was taken out of the office on the second floor, and his charge was writing "It's your turn, Doctor" on the walls. Afterwards, P23 was tortured, but he did not confess to anything. He continued to be tortured, insulted, and beaten, which led to stomach bleeding, and he was transferred to the Military Hospital in Sweida, where the doctor told them that P23 needed intensive care. After that, he was released from the hospital with a personnel member named Abu Ja’far, and was forced to place his fingerprint on a paper whose content he did not know. When the witness told them that he did not know how to write, they tortured him using pliers on his hands.

P23 testified that [on March 18, 2011, during a demonstration at Al-Omari Mosque,] his son was standing near an electrical transformer when the [security] forces entered the Al-Omari Mosque, where his son was martyred. He added that the Accused, Atef Najib, was the one giving the orders to open fire.

The witness saw the Accused when his son was martyred, and testified that Atef Najib was the one who gave the orders to prevent ambulances from arriving.

The Presiding Judge wanted to know from P23 what the fate of [redacted name] was. P23 answered that he did not know.

The Judge asked the Accused whether he accepted the testimony of P23. The Accused answered in the negative.

W6, [redacted name]

The Presiding Judge asked W6 whether he knew the Accused, Atef Najib, and whether there was any familial relationship or prior acquaintance with the Accused. W6 replied that he knew the Accused, but that there was no prior acquaintance or enmity between them before the incidents of 2011.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness to provide his testimony without addition or omission, whereupon W6 took the legal oath.

W6 testified that prior to March 8, 2011, the Accused was the sole authority and ultimate decision-maker in Dar’a, in his capacity as a relative of Bashar Al-Assad. The Accused ordered the impounding of certain [cargo] refrigerator trucks, belonging to several individuals in Dar’a, for his own motives.

After the children wrote slogans reading, "It's your turn, Doctor" on walls, the Accused ordered a campaign by Military Security to arrest the children. [In the demonstrations of] Al-Omari Mosque on March 18, 2011, the residents demanded the release of the children. Security forces became aware of this, stormed the area, and threw tear gas and grenades at them [i.e. the demonstrators], refusing to fulfill the request.

It was said that leadership was aware of what was happening. Airplanes and helicopters began striking the sit-in area, resulting in the fall of the first, then the second martyr. All security branches were opening fire, and Atef Najib was present and walking in front of the people.

After the funeral procession, security personnel opened fire on the mourners, and Atef Najib was the one issuing instructions.

On March 22, 2011, W6 went to the mosque to meet Sheikh Ahmad As-Sayasneh, when W6 was surprised by a phone call from the Political Security Branch [and someone said to him:], "Are you still causing chaos?"

At 12:00 midnight, while residents were gathered from Al-Karak Roundabout to Al-Omari Mosque, the mosque was suddenly stormed and gunfire commenced. On that day, W6 was not present in the same location, and 9 people were martyred. Atef Najib was present at Al-Karak Roundabout.

W6 was at the Electricity Building at 1:00AM, where there was a gathering of residents 700 meters away from the mosque. At 1:30AM, the witness asked his brother, Mohammad, about his location, and his brother informed him that he was at the hospital and that “Ali” had been martyred.

Ambulances began heading to the mosque to treat the wounded. There was a person named P27 [redacted name] who saw Atef Najib open fire and saw Ali martyred [without directly linking the Accused opening fire to the killing of Ali].

At 2:00AM, security personnel began storming the hospital to remove the bodies. The following day, "we went" to the burial. During the funeral procession, gunfire began, and six or seven martyrs fell, while security personnel were injured.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness whether the Accused was present during these incidents. The witness denied that, but affirmed that Political Security personnel were present. When the people of the countryside learned of what was happening, they rushed out in solidarity to support and rescue the people of Dar’a. When they reached the northern entrance, they clashed with security personnel at the gas station area, and saw Atef Najib open fire on them. Two young men among them were martyred.

The witness concluded by stating that the revolution bears witness to Atef Najib, his crimes, and all heads of security branches, and that the Accused was the one who ignited the spark of the revolution.

The Prosecutor wanted to know whether anyone from the witness's family had been arrested, to which W6 answered that [redacted name] was detained, and that W6's family knows nothing about him.

The Judge asked the Accused whether he accepted the testimony of W6. The Accused answered in the negative.

W7, [redacted name]

The Presiding Judge asked W7 whether he knew the Accused, Atef Najib, and whether there was any familial relationship or prior acquaintance with the Accused. W7 replied that he knew the Accused, but that there was no prior acquaintance or enmity between them before the incidents of 2011.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness to provide his testimony without addition or omission, whereupon W7 took the legal oath.

W7 commenced his testimony by noting that he was nicknamed the "Living Martyr." The Presiding Judge asked him to clarify that.

W7 explained that Military Security arrested him from a demonstration on March 26, 2011. Television channels broadcast that he was sent to the Political Security Branch and that he was martyred. However, he was only injured, and Syrian Television wanted to refute the narrative of Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya channels. Therefore, W7 was filmed in Atef Najib's office, where Lo’ay Al-Ali, several persons, and media personnel were also present. A crew applied makeup to W7 [to conceal signs of torture] and filmed him to refute the narrative of these channels, [to the effect that:] these channels claimed that Syrian security ordered the killing of W7, but here he is alive and well. W7 confirmed that all of this took place in the office of Atef Najib, who submitted a document [to the Court] claiming that he was not present in Dar’a at that time.

The Presiding Judge wanted to know whether the witness was tortured. The witness answered that the torture took place at the Military Security Branch at the time the video was shown. After the filming, the witness was sent home, and the video was broadcast on the Syrian Channel.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness to speak about his mother's matter. W7 responded by testifying that his mother went to ask about him when he was detained, but she was turned away. She continued searching for him for six days while being insulted and sworn at. [The video concerning his mother was displayed in court.]

The Judge asked the Accused whether he accepted the testimony of W7. The Accused answered in the negative.

P28, [redacted name]

The Presiding Judge asked P28 whether he knew the Accused, Atef Najib, and whether there was any familial relationship or prior acquaintance with the Accused. P28 replied that he knew the Accused, but that there was no prior acquaintance or enmity between them before the incidents of 2011.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness to provide his testimony without addition or omission, whereupon P28 took the legal oath.

P28 testified that on the night of March 23, 2011, "they" [the protesters] were holding a sit-in in front of Al-Omari Mosque for the sake of the children, demanding their release. On the same night, Sheikh Ahmad As-Sayasneh came and asked them to clear the area because security forces were going to storm the mosque. [The Sheikh stated] that he learned this information from the Political Security Branch. As a result, a group of them remained at the location while the others returned to their homes.

[People] heard gunfire at the mosque. Consequently, they left their homes to find the army inside the mosque. Gunfire commenced from all security branches. The demonstrators were attacked with grenades and bullets, leading to many injured and dead.

[People] rushed to rescue those remaining in the mosque, however, they were unable to enter and were fired upon by snipers. So they returned to their homes.

The Presiding Judge wanted to know whether the witness saw the Accused during this incident, which the witness denied.

After midnight, P28 continued, there were many injured people who had to be transported to the hospital. Among the martyrs at the mosque was [redacted name], whose body was received from the National Hospital. P28 added that the person who tried to give him first aid accompanied him in the ambulance.

The Presiding Judge wanted to know whether the Accused possessed influential powers because he was a relative of the former president at that time. The witness answered that Atef Najib was [at the head of] the pyramid in all security branches.

The Judge asked the Accused whether he accepted the testimony of P28. The Accused answered in the negative.

W8, [redacted name]

The Presiding Judge asked W8 whether he knew the Accused, Atef Najib, and whether there was any familial relationship or prior acquaintance with the Accused. W8 replied that he knew the Accused, but that there was no prior acquaintance or enmity between them before the incidents of 2011.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness to provide his testimony without addition or omission, whereupon W8 took the legal oath.

The Presiding Judge asked W8 about the nature of his work. The witness answered that he was a warrant officer in the police at the Damascus Branch Command - Raid Section, and that he declared his defection in 2012.

W8 testified that Major General Mustafa As-Sukkari requested W8 — when W8 was working for him — to accompany the Minister of Interior to Dar’a after March 18, 2011. Two weeks later, W8 accompanied the Minister to Dar’a. When they arrived in Dar’a, the Political Security Branch stopped the cars and allowed only the Minister's car to pass through. Afterwards, the Minister and his escort [not W8] stepped out of the car and remained at the branch for approximately 45 minutes. Subsequently, the Minister and Atef Najib came out with several cars heading to Damascus. According to what W8 heard from the Minister's escort, Atef Najib's non-compliance with orders from Damascus was the reason for the visit. W8 affirmed that he refused to accompany the Minister in his car.

W8 remained on duty until April [2012], when he left his job. News was circulated within the Raids and Emergency Police Company in Damascus, including whether Atef Najib was still on duty, as W8's colleagues were informed about decisions and telegrams at Police Headquarters.

The Presiding Judge sought clarification from the witness regarding the reason for Atef Najib's adherence to his position. The witness responded that Atef Najib knew how to deal with the people of Dar’a and asked the Syrian authorities that neither they nor Rustum Al-Ghazali [Head of Political Security Directorate] interfere in the matter.

The Judge asked the Accused whether he accepted the testimony of W8. The Accused answered in the negative.

W9, [redacted name]

The Presiding Judge asked W9 whether he knew the Accused, Atef Najib, and whether there was any familial relationship or prior acquaintance with the Accused. W9 replied that he knew the Accused, but that there was no prior acquaintance or enmity between them before the incidents of 2011.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness to provide his testimony without addition or omission, whereupon W9 took the legal oath.

W9 introduced himself as being from the town of Al-Harak. He testified that on Wednesday, March 23, 2011, more than 50 personnel wearing protective gear headed to Dar’a. W9 testified that there was a person wearing an abaya [cloak] saying to them [i.e., to the demonstrators arriving in Dar’a at its entrance], "Welcome." At that time, no one could enter [Dar’a through its entrance] except for that person whom they saw and did not recognize, nor did they know who had blocked the road. Next, they were surprised by gunfire directed at them from government departments. Four persons were injured during this incident.

The Presiding Judge wanted to know whether the witness saw the Accused during this incident, which the witness denied, and then added that the person in the abaya [cloak] was an officer among their personnel.

The Judge asked the Accused whether he accepted the testimony of W9. The Accused answered in the negative.

W10, [The witness’s name was not disclosed. He was referred to as Witness 01.] 

The Presiding Judge asked W10 whether he knew the Accused, Atef Najib, and whether there was any familial relationship or prior acquaintance with the Accused. W10 replied that he knew the Accused, but that there was no prior acquaintance or enmity between them before the incidents of 2011.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness to provide his testimony without addition or omission, whereupon W10 took the legal oath.

[Witness W10 entered wearing a face mask].

W10 testified that he was detained on March 18, 2011, near the Electricity Corporation, taken to the Political Security Branch, and subjected to brutal torture.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness whether he was subjected to sexual assault by security personnel. The witness answered that he was taken to the basement, where Atef Najib was present. Atef Najib requested W10 to speak about his role in the demonstration. W10 told them that he was throwing stones. Then one of the personnel came and mentioned stones [which were thrown at them], after which the incident of torture and sexual assault occurred.

The Presiding Judge asked the witness to speak about how he was assaulted. The witness teared up, answering that the assault was carried out with a stick, and that it occurred at the Political Security Branch, where they were beating him in the most horrific ways.

The Presiding Judge wanted to know whether the witness saw the Accused during this incident. The witness denied having seen Atef Najib during the assault, adding that the Accused’s personnel were the ones who committed that act.

The Judge asked the Accused whether he accepted the testimony of W10. The Accused answered in the negative.

At the conclusion of the witness hearing session, the Court decided to adjourn the session to complete the hearing of witnesses.

The proceedings were adjourned at 12:00PM.  

The next trial day will be on July 14, 2026, at 11AM.

___________________________

For more information or to provide feedback, please contact SJAC at [email protected] and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to SJAC’s newsletter for updates on our work