Damascus opens the path of transitional justice… Trial in absentia for Bashar al-Assad and his brother

The Syrian capital, Damascus, witnessed on Sunday the launch of the first court sessions within the transitional justice process, as a preliminary hearing was held for the trial in absentia of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher al-Assad, along with a number of figures from the former regime, while former security official Atef Najib appeared before the court in person.

According to a judicial source, the first session was devoted to preliminary legal and administrative procedures ahead of the start of the actual trials, whether in absentia for fugitive defendants or in person for detainees, foremost among them Najib, who was arrested at the beginning of 2025 over accusations related to his role in suppressing protests.

The session was presided over by Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan, who announced the opening of the first stage of transitional justice, noting that the trials include detained defendants as well as others who have fled justice, before reading out the names of a number of prominent figures from the former regime.

Bashar al-Assad had left for Russia in late 2024, after opposition factions entered Damascus, in a development that brought decades of his family’s rule to an end. A second session is scheduled for May 10, while the trials are expected to include other figures, among them Wassim al-Assad and Badr al-Din Hassoun, in addition to security and military officials.

Syrian law allows trials in absentia for fugitive defendants, with the possibility of issuing verdicts at the end of the judicial process, including consideration of the charges and compensation claims. This step comes in the context of addressing the legacy of years of conflict, which first erupted in Daraa in 2011, and the profound humanitarian consequences it left behind, including the issue of the missing, detainees, and mass graves.