A court in Damascus has opened the first public trial of officials linked to ousted President Bashar al-Assad. The first hearing took place on Sunday, marking what the presiding judge described as the beginning of the first trials of transitional justice in Syria.
Bashar al-Assad and his brother, Maher al-Assad, are being tried in absentia after fleeing the country. It is thought that both have fled to Russia.
While several officials are being tried in absentia, former security official Atif Najib appeared in court in handcuffs. Najib, a relative of the ousted president and the former head of political security in Deraa province, is charged with crimes against the Syrian people.