Syrian officials have arrested former senior security Atef Najib, an ex-president’s cousin Bashar al-Assad, reportedly for his implication in the uprising of 2011 that catalyzed Syrian civil war till date. His arrest was issued by state-owned media on detention by General Security forces in Syria’s Latakia province from Brigadier-General and Daraa’s political security chief head.
The arrest of Najib will be the most prominent detention involving a former official since Islamist rebels, who were led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), began to hold sway in this region after taking it from the Assad’s regime late last year. The new government has since vowed to persecute those responsible for numerous violations against the Syrian people under HTS leadership, headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa.
The episode of the former officer’s torture and arrest of children in 2011 is one of those events that sparked violent protests throughout the country. The heavy-handed response by the Assad regime to the protest events has inflicted civil war on the country, which has been ongoing so far.
In 2011, the US imposed sanctions against Najib based on his connection to human rights abuses. There are confirmed cases where Najib will be arraigned in trial for his conducts during the start of the unrest, as a way of reaching a broader quest for justice in the region and stabilizing the region.
