In a new blow to the Syrian leadership, authorities announced that Atif Najib, cousin of President Bashar al-Assad and involved in the country’s crackdown on anti-government protests during the 2011 uprising, was arrested. According to local sources, Najib, who headed political security in Daraa, widely considered the cradle of the Syrian revolution, was arrested in Latakia province along Syria’s Mediterranean coastline. His arrest has brought much attention because he is believed to have masterminded the violent suppression of dissent that eventually turned into the Syrian civil war that is ongoing. The development raises questions about the motives behind his detention and whether it marks a shift in the regime’s internal dynamics.
Atif Najib played a crucial role in the early days of the uprising. As the head of political security in Daraa, he allegedly arrested and tortured teenage boys whose anti-government graffiti sparked the protests. His actions are widely viewed as a catalyst for the widespread unrest that followed, leading to a brutal conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions. Najib’s arrest, over a decade later, has revived discussions on accountability for the atrocities of the war.
It is not clear what led to Najib’s arrest. Some analysts suggest that it might be part of a larger attempt by the Assad regime to consolidate power or settle internal rivalries. Others think it may be an attempt to appease international critics or distance the regime from its most contentious figures. However, with the lack of transparency in Syrian judicial activities, it is very hard to tell if this arrest will lead to proper accountability or is a mere gesture.
Atif Najib is the first high-profile figure with connections to the Assad regime to be detained. While the movement spells doom for now for what repercussions, if any, will accrue, it has brought to the forefront issues of the Syrian judiciary and the revolutionary accountability. As Syria continues its process of getting over its post-war conditions, the detention of Najib symbolizes how the wounds of the 2011 crackdown are deeply ingrained and that a long road is ahead before the revolutionary forces get reconciled and heal.
