Bashar al-Assad was the dictator of Syria until he was overthrown in 2024 by rebels led by Ahmed al-Sharaa. His regime presided over nearly 14 years of repression and bloodshed after protests broke out in Deraa in 2011. The Sharaa government has begun trying former regime officials. The first prominent figure to face trial—on May 10th 2026—was Atef Najib, Assad's first cousin and the security chief of Deraa in 2011, charged with murder, torture and orchestrating massacres; he denied the charges and blamed the repression on other security agencies.
Do nothing unless you must, and when you must act -- hesitate.