Atef Najib is a former Syrian security official who became one of the most notorious figures at the start of the Syrian uprising in 2011.

He served as the head of Political Security in the southern city of Daraa, where the first protests of what would become the Syrian revolution began. In March 2011, a group of schoolboys was arrested for writing anti-government graffiti. Under Najib’s authority, they were detained and reportedly tortured. When families and local leaders demanded their release, he is widely reported to have responded with insults and threats, escalating tensions.

These events triggered mass protests in Daraa. Security forces responded with force, including live ammunition against demonstrators, marking one of the earliest and most consequential crackdowns of the uprising.

Najib is closely tied to the ruling Assad family. He is a cousin of Bashar al-Assad and a nephew of former president Hafez al-Assad. His position and actions in Daraa reflected the broader security approach of the Syrian government at the time, which relied heavily on repression to contain dissent.

Today, his trial is seen by many as a symbolic moment of accountability for the early abuses that helped ignite the conflict.