Assad's cousin, notorious for protest suppression in Syria, arrested

Von WOM

A cousin of the former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad Participation was involved, which the triggered in Syria. According to the state news agency Sana, Atef Najib was arrested in the Latakia region, a retreat for loyal supporters of the Assad regime. Bashar al-Assad and his family fled to Russia a year ago, as rebel groups in the country.

the arrest in the context of current developments

The arrest of Najib is carried out after the newly appointed interim director Syria, Ahmad al-Sharaa, recently warned that the upcoming government will “pursue criminals, shed the Syrian blood and committed massacres and crimes against us, regardless of whether they have hidden or fled abroad in the country.”

The role of Najib in violence against demonstrators

Najib was sanctioned by both the United States and the European Union due to its role in the violent oppression of pro-democratic protests in 2011. These protests escalated and led to years of civil war after the Assad troops tried to put down the peaceful demonstrations. In spring 2011, the protests against the Assad regime quickly spread after a group of children had been arrested and tortured because they sprayed regime-critical graffiti in the city of Deraa. According to reports on site, the children were removed from the children.

The effects of the protests and the reaction of the regime

The children had been inspired by the Arab spring, which caused turmoil in several countries in the region, including Egypt and Tunisia. Back then, Najib was the head of the political security authority in DERAA. The parents of the affected children and prominent local representatives pleaded Najib to leave the children free. "They were told: 'Forget your children. If you want children, do more children. If you don't know how to do it, bring us your women and we will do them for you'," Alia Malek wrote in her book The home that our country .

follow for the Assad regime and the humanitarian situation in Syria

Although the children were finally released, a brutal military attack on Deraa followed, which quickly spread the protests across the country. A high -ranking civil servant of the new security directorate in Latakia, Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Knaifati, said on Friday that Najib was "considered one of those who were involved in the crimes against the Syrian people".

The autocratic rule of the Assad dynasty in Syria was characterized by decades of struggle, bloodshed and repressive political control. All warring parties carried out illegal attacks that killed civilians and destroyed important infrastructure, according to Amnesty International.

The vision for the future of Syria

The transition leader al-Sharaa, whose militant group in December by coalition forces a surprising offensive to conquer government-controlled areas and would now like to overthrow assad "Civil Peace". Al-Sharaa, a former member of Al-Qaida, and his new helpers are faced with the task of rebuilding a country that has experienced more than a decade of brutal civil war, which, according to the United Nations, about 300,000 people cost life. Over 6 million Syrians have left the country, so the united nations .

This story continues to develop and is continuously updated.