Deraa, the heart of the Syrian uprising, celebrates Assad’s death sentence

In the southern city of Deraa, the heart of Syria's 2011 uprising, celebratory gatherings took place on Tuesday after Atef Najib, a cousin of President Bashar Al Assad, was sentenced to death by a Syrian court. Najib, head of political security in the city, was among three defendants, including Bashar and Maher Al Assad, convicted for their role in the brutal crackdown on peaceful protests.

The mosque where Najib's sentencing took place had been a site of both violent suppression and later, joyous assemblies. Malek Al Abboud, who lived through the conflict and its aftermath, expressed his relief, stating Najib was "the reason the revolution started" and "responsible for the killing of children". The city now bears numerous symbols of the uprising, such as a mural featuring a boy holding a can of spray paint and a girl with the victory symbol, painted on a bakery wall.

However, the city's residents, like Abboud's mother Fida, still hope for the return and capture of the Assad brothers, living in exile in Russia, as the true vindication for their loss and suffering. She expressed her optimism about Deraa's future, urging those still in Jordan to return to their home city.