Maher al-Assad

Former commander, Syrian Army 4th Armoured Division

Appears in 1 story

Born: December 8, 1967, Damascus

Party: Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region

Education: Damascus University

Last updated Nov 2, 2026

Stories

Syria opens first public trial of Assad-era officials

Rule Changes

As of May 2026: Charged in absentia; in exile in Russia

On April 26, 2026, a brigadier general in a brown prison uniform stepped into an iron cage at Damascus's Palace of Justice. The general was Atef Najib, al-Assad's cousin, whose 2011 detention of Deraa teenagers lit the fuse of Syria's civil war; he became the first official of the fallen regime to face a public trial.

Updated May 31