Najm Hamad Al Ahmad () (born 1969) is a Syrian jurist and justice minister from 2012 until 2017.

Early life and education

Ahmad was born in

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

in 1969. He hails from an Alawi family. He holds a bachelor's degree in law, which he received in 1991. He also obtained degrees in general law, administrative law and administrative sciences from the

University of Damascus A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

and

Ain Shams University Ain Shams University () is a public university located in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 1950, the university provides education at the undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate levels. History Ain Shams University was founded in July 1950, the third ...

in Egypt. He also received a PhD in law from Ain Shams University.

Career

Ahmad served as the chairman of the judicial reform committee formed on 17 May 2011. He also served as deputy justice minister. On 16 August 2012, Ahmad was appointed justice minister by the Syrian president

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

to the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

headed by Wael Al Halaqi. In July 2016 Ahmad was also named as the justice minister in the cabinet led by

Imad Khamis Imad Muhammad Dib Khamis (; born 1 August 1961) is a Syrian politician who served as the prime minister of Syria from 2016 to 2020 under president Bashar al-Assad. Previously, he was minister of electricity from 2011 to 2016. Early life and educ ...

. On 29 March 2017

Hisham Al Shaar Hisham Al Shaar (born 1958) is a Syrian judge and politician who served as the justice minister between 2017 and 2020. Biography Al Shaar was born in Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region ...

replaced Ahmad as justice minister in a cabinet reshuffle.

Sanctions

On 16 October 2012, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

put him along with other Syrian officials into the list of financial sanctions. The Treasury of the United Kingdom also put him among asset freeze targets the same day. On 16 May 2013, the United States Treasury Department designated four senior Syrian officials, including Ahmad, for backing "the government of Bashar al-Assad in suppressing people or involvement in terrorism".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmad, Najm Hamad 1969 births Living people Damascus University alumni Ain Shams University alumni Syrian jurists Syrian Shia Muslims Politicians from Aleppo Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region politicians Ministers of justice of Syria