The new government of Syria has seized former senior security officer Atif Najib who also happens to be related to the removed President Bashar al-Assad. Security officials arrested Najib in the Latakia countryside after authorities discovered him on a rural farm during the search for the prominent figure who suppressed early demonstrations. His arrest marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing efforts to hold former regime officials accountable for their roles in the brutal crackdown that followed the uprising.
Najib, the highest-ranking member of Assad’s government to be arrested since the president’s ouster in December, was the head of political security in Daraa, a city in southern Syria. And it was in Daraa that the movement that grew into a nationwide uprising was born in spring 2011, arising from the arrest and torture of children who wrote anti-regime slogans on their school walls. The protests that these arrests had incited quickly turned into a full-blown rebellion, which prompted the Assad regime to respond with a violent and brutal crackdown that ignited a catastrophic civil war that has now lasted more than a decade.
“The criminal Atif Najib is referred to the competent authorities to be tried and account for the criminal acts which he committed against the Syrian people,” the official SANA news agency reported, quoting a senior security official. Many Syrians have reacted to the announcement with cautious optimism, viewing Najib’s arrest as a small step toward justice for the many thousands of victims of the regime’s brutality.
Najib’s role in the early days of the uprising has made him a symbol of the Assad regime’s oppressive tactics. As the head of political security in Daraa, he was directly involved in the decision to arrest and torture the children whose actions ignited the protests. His arrest is seen as a significant victory for Syria’s new authorities, who have pledged to hold former regime officials accountable for their crimes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, reported that Najib had been hiding in a farm in the Latakia countryside, a stronghold of the Assad regime .His apprehension demonstrates the challenges which are being faced by the new leadership in Syria as they try to dismantle the remnants of authoritarian rule left by dictatorship. While the arrest of Najib in itself is a breakthrough, it also lists the complexity of moving from decades of dictatorship to a more accountable and transparent government.
For many Syrians, Najib’s arrest is a long-overdue step toward justice. “This is a moment we have been waiting for,” said one Daraa resident, who asked not to be named. “Najib represents the cruelty and oppression of the Assad regime. His trial will also be a test of whether the new authorities are genuinely committed to justice and accountability.”
Nevertheless, the path to justice is treacherous. The new authorities in Syria face different risks: They cannot go too far in allowing former regime officials to be brought to justice, if they want to maintain stability in a country that had already been institutionally decimated by years of civil war and that is still very much divided along sectarian lines. The arrest of prominent figures like Najib may spur pushback from loyalists to the previous regime, making reconstruction and reconciliation more difficult.
The developments in Syria have also drawn the world’s attention. Human rights organizations have long pushed for accountability for crimes committed during the civil war, and Najib’s arrest is viewed as a possible turning point. “This is a pivotal moment for Syria,” said a spokesman for Human Rights Watch. “The arrest and trial of Atif Najib could become a model for accountability for other regime officials responsible for their crimes.”
As Syria’s new authorities proceed with Najib’s trial, all eyes will be on the country. The case represents not only an opportunity for justice but also a test of the new government’s commitment to the rule of law and human rights. For the people of Syria, who have endured unimaginable suffering, it is a moment of hope and a reminder that the fight for justice is far from over.
As one activist put it, “This is just the beginning. And there are many more who need to be held to account for what they did. But for now we take this is a sign that change is possible.” While Syria has a long and uphill road ahead on its road to recovery, the arrest of Atif Najib is a bitter reminder of the hurdles that remain—not least of which comes in the form of people determined to see a better future for Syria.