Ex-spokesman of Syrian Islamists faces trial for war crimes
A Syrian Islamist rebel former spokesman, faced trial in France on April 29th, under allegations he had been complicit in war crimes during his country’s civil war, according to Al-Monitor via AFP
French authorities arrested Majdi Nema in Marseille in 2020 after he went to the European nation for a student exchange programme. Nema used to be the spokesman for Jaish al-Islam, a Syrian Islamist rebel group.
As his trial began, Nema stated in a Paris court that there was no proof to support the charges made against him, according to France 24 via AFP on April 29th. Nema stands accused of aiding the recruitment of minors to fight for the group.
He is facing up to 20 years in prison if he is found guilty. His arrest followed a 2019 criminal complaint made by rights groups, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), against Jaish al-Islam members for all their apparent crimes.
Nema, who is now 36, had been charged and detained under universal jurisdiction, which enables states to prosecute people alleged to have committed serious criminal acts, irrespective of the location where they were carried out.
Nema, widely recognised by his alias “Islam Alloush,” was charged for complicity in war crimes from 2013 to 2016. However, he claims he played merely a “limited role” within the armed group at the time. Jaish al-Islam was among the main rebel movements battling Bashar al-Assad’s regime before Islamist-led fighters ousted the ex-leader in 2024.
Nema informed investigators that he left Eastern Ghouta in May 2013 and went to Turkey. Nema also claims he left the organisation in 2016.
Syria’s conflict has claimed over half a million lives and forced millions more from their homes. It began in 2011 with a harsh response to anti-government demonstrations.
Marc Bailly, a lawyer for the FIDH and several civil parties in the trial, declared the case would offer “the opportunity to shed light on all the complexity of the Syrian conflict.” The conflict “did not just involve regime crimes,” Arab News via AFP reported on April 29th.
Meanwhile, on April 28th, two informants stated that Dubai authorities had detained Issam Buwaydani, the leader of Jaish al-Islam. One source claimed they were unsure of the reason for the arrest, Al-Monitor via AFP reported on April 28th.
Al-Monitor, Arab News, France 24, AFP
