Former Syrian rebel spokesman on trial in Paris for war crimes
A former spokesman for the Syrian rebel group Jaish Al Islam went on trial in Paris on Tuesday, accused of complicity in war crimes, amid warnings that several witnesses were refusing to give evidence after the change of government.
Majdi Nema, 36 - better known by his nom de guerre, Islam Alloush - has been charged with complicity in war crimes committed between 2013 and 2016, including the recruitment of children and teenagers to fight for the group. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
As his trial opened, Mr Nema told the court there was no evidence to support the charges against him.
Claire Thouault, deputy prosecutor at France's National Anti-Terrorism Office, said that the proceedings had been affected by the new government, which recently struck reconciliation agreements, including with Jaish Al Islam. Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara is the former leader of the rebel group that took control of Damascus in December - Hayat Tahrir Al Sham.
"The group which took power a few months ago has carried out reconciliation agreements - in particular with Jaish Al Islam, to which Majdi Nema belonged," said Ms Thouault. "This context is, in our opinion, an element of explanation for why a certain number of witnesses and civil parties refused to be heard or to testify."
The trial, set to run until May 27, is France's first held under universal jurisdiction relating to war crimes committed in Syria. The court is composed of three professional magistrates and six jurors. Last year, a Paris court tried Syrian officials in their absence because the victims held dual French-Syrian citizenship. They were sentenced to life in prison.
Mr Nema appeared in court behind a glass enclosure, dressed in a black jacket and white t-shirt. In a brief statement after confirming his identity, Mr Nema declared his innocence. "The person who filed a complaint against me set up this case for purely political purposes," Mr Nema said, without naming the accuser.
He was arrested in the southern French city of Marseille in 2020 during a student exchange after rights groups, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), filed a criminal complaint in France against members of Jaish Al Islam.
Born in 1988, Mr Nema was a captain in the Syrian armed forces before defecting in 2012 and joining the group that would become known in 2013 as Jaish Al Islam. He told investigators that he left Eastern Ghouta in May 2013 and crossed the border to Turkey, where he worked as the group's spokesman, before leaving the group in 2016. He has quoted his presence in Turkey as part of his defence. Mr Nema travelled to France in November 2019 on a university exchange programme.
Mr Nema was initially indicted for complicity in the enforced disappearances of four activists in Eastern Ghouta in late 2013, including prominent rights defender Razan Zaitouneh, but those charges were dropped on procedural grounds. Jaish Al Islam has been accused of involvement in the abductions, though it denies this.
France has since 2010 been able to try cases under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which argues some crimes are so serious that all states have a duty to prosecute offenders. The country's highest court upheld this principle in 2023, allowing the investigation into Mr Nema to proceed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
US backs Syrian plan to absorb foreign fighters into national army: Report
The US appears to have backed a plan by the Syrian government to assimilate thousands of foreign rebel fighters into the Syrian national army, Reuters reported on Monday. An estimated 3,500 foreign fighters, mainly Uighurs from China and Central Asia, would join a new unit called the 84th Syrian army division, also comprised of Syrians, three Syrian defence officials told Reuters. Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and President Donald Trump's special envoy to Syria, told Reuters that the US government sought transparency and said there was an understanding between the US and Syria. Later on Tuesday, Barrack praised Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, saying he had taken'meaningful steps' on foreign fighters. Barrack said the two met in Istanbul on Saturday. Barrack said it was a better strategy to contain the fighters than exclude them, as many are "very loyal" to the new government. This approach reverses the US's previous demand that the new leadership exclude foreign fighters. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The change is seen to be a result of Trump's visit to the Middle East in May, when he agreed to meet Syria's new leader and lift the US's long-term sanctions on Syria. Syria has been under sanctions since 1979, when the US labelled Damascus a state sponsor of terrorism under the government of Hafez al-Assad, father of deposed Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad. Barrack also told Turkish media that the US would be reducing its military presence in the country. Foreign fighters Syria's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and linked groups were instrumental in toppling Bashar last year after a 13-year civil war between rebel groups and the former leader. Jordan's king warned US against assassinating Syria's Sharaa before Trump meeting Read More » HTS was comprised of many Uighurs who mostly came from China during the Syrian civil war and were persecuted in China. Uighurs are one of 55 recognised ethnic minorities in China and are Turkic-speaking. They are largely Sunni Muslims and live in the country's northwest Xinjiang province, which has had intermittent autonomy over the past few centuries. Most of the Chinese and Central Asian fighters belong to the Turkistan Islamic Party, designated a terrorist group by China. A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters that "China hopes that Syria will oppose all forms of terrorism and extremist forces in response to the concerns of the international community." The Chinese government is accused of detaining more than one million Uighurs and other Muslim minorities in the eastern Xinjiang region and subjecting the community to abuses some have labelled a "genocide". China denies all allegations of abuse. Western powers have been concerned about foreign fighters in Syria. Sharaa has argued that bringing foreign fighters into the national army is less of a security risk than discarding them, as they would be more susceptible to being recruited by al-Qaeda or the Islamic State militant groups. The National reported that foreign fighters will be granted Syrian citizenship.
Middle East Eye
6 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Hezbollah can recover after its costly war with Israel, senior official says
Hezbollah can recover from the heavy military defeat it suffered at the hands of Israel because it still has the backing of the Lebanese people, Ibrahim Mousawi, a sitting MP from Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, has told Middle East Eye. Speaking in the Lebanese capital Beirut, Mousawi, a member of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, however, accepted that Hezbollah was facing several hurdles after much of its leadership was wiped out, and after it lost control of key assets such as Beirut airport and smuggling routes along the Syrian border. "Everybody knows we are in a difficult situation," Mousawi said. "[But how] did we start the resistance? We built it ourselves little by little. It is one of the miracles of history, the sacrifice for our land. It's very difficult and [we are in] tough times - but we will continue to struggle," he added. On 8 October 2023, a day after Israel launched its war on Gaza, Hezbollah opened a limited battlefront with Israel in support of Hamas and Palestinians under attack in the besieged enclave. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters For nearly a year, the conflict was mostly limited to clashes in the border areas between Lebanon and Israel. But in September, Israel exploded thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah members before launching a widespread bombing campaign across the country followed by a ground invasion. Dozens of villages were erased and more than 3,900 Lebanese killed, including the group's charismatic and long-time leader Hassan Nasrallah. After Hezbollah signed up to a lopsided ceasefire on 27 November, Israel has repeatedly flaunted its dominance over Lebanon by occupying five strategic points in the south. Walid Jumblatt says Arab leaders must wake up to Israeli expansionism Read More » It has also repeatedly carried out air strikes on areas in the south and in late March, conducted its first raid on Beirut in four months. According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data project (ACLED), an American NGO which tracks violence, Israel carried out at least 330 aerial attacks between 27 November and 10 January 2025, destroying at least 260 properties in the first 60 days of the truce. Mousawi said that Hezbollah was shouldering its responsibility towards Lebanon and covering the costs of rehousing southerners made homeless by Israel's war. He said the movement had spent more than $1bn on rents and salaries for those displaced by the violence. "We have done a great part in the recovery process," he said. "It's not there yet and in some aspects it is not estimated that we will [get back to where we were]," he added. 'The Israelis want our land' Mousawi said that despite the destruction, which saw countless social, financial and medical Hezbollah-run institutions destroyed, the movement would continue to remain active and resist Israeli expansionism. "When you lose one battle, the important thing to recognise is that the environment of resistance is still there and so is Hezbollah's social matrix," he said. "Why do we have a resistance? Because the Israelis want our land. When you don't have a strong army to defend you, and America continues to deprive the Lebanese army of the means to defend itself, you are left with no other option than resistance," Mousawi added. While Israel is yet to complete its withdrawal from southern Lebanon, which was scheduled under the terms of the ceasefire for 18 February, Mousawi confirmed that Hezbollah had handed over its arms and pulled back its forces from their positions south of the Litani River in accordance with UN Resolution 1701 passed after their previous war with Israel in 2006. But he denied the movement was in talks with Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese president and former chief of staff of the Lebanese army to hand over the rest of its arsenal of heavy weapons. "Hezbollah has handed over its arms south of the Litani [River]. When you talk about other arms, this is a sovereign discussion which is going to be discussed at a national level. "This is something for the Lebanon president who is prudent. The way he is handling the issues, it gives you an indication of what kind of man he is." Mousawi framed those discussions as Hezbollah's part in a "National Strategy Security Plan" to make sure that Lebanon can defend itself. Mousawi also heaped praise on the Lebanese army, despite it choosing to sit out Israel's war and battles with Hezbollah. "Who are the Lebanese army? They are brave people," he said. "My father was in the Lebanese army. My brother was in the Lebanese army. Some of them are martyrs but they are not being given the orders to fight and they don't have the equipment. "Our Lebanese army are strong and brave and they can do the mission if they have the right orders. We will be with them, the people of the land." 'We will work with anyone against Israel' Still, Mousawi was bitterly critical of the committee chaired by US General Jasper Jeffers, whose job it is to monitor the ceasefire, which he said gave Israel the scope to continue carrying out attacks in the south of the country. "We are under some kind of American mandate. This can give Lebanon scores of issues, but one thing I am sure of, the Americans won't succeed." Mousawi also said the fall of Syria's former president, Bashar al-Assad, presented a major change in the balance of power. Israel's aggression in Syria advances a century-long plan to co-opt the Druze Read More » "What happened in Syria is a major loss for the axis of resistance," he said. "It was in power for nearly 60 years and it went in days and hours." Syrian rebels, led by the now dissolved Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), seized the capital Damascus early on 7 December, as Assad fled to Russia, ending more than five decades of brutal dynastic rule. In the space of 10 days, the rebels captured Aleppo, Hama and Homs, with little resistance from demoralised Syrian troops. Assad's forces also pulled out of Deir Ezzor in the east, which was then taken by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces. When asked whether Hezbollah would work with President Ahmed al-Sharaa or any future Syrian administration, Mousawi said the Shia movement was prepared to "work with anyone against Israel". But he said there were certain new realities that Sharaa would have to face. "I believe that no ruler, no president can oppose the unanimous will of his people. We believe in Arab nationalism. Let us hope that Syria will stay in the right position to be part of those who oppose the occupation. "In Hezbollah we are open to anyone to gain arms to oppose Israel. This is a period of rebuilding your capabilities in order to come back to your previous strength. Israel cannot get a hold of this region. The soul of revolution will always fight back," he added. 'No one in the camps is giving up their arms' Separately, a Palestinian source in southern Lebanon told MEE that whilst Hezbollah fighter fought bravely on the ground, the blows it received in Beirut and elsewhere "had a huge effect" on its fighting units. "Many of the fighters fled with their families, which gave Hezbollah an indication that they could not hold their positions on the ground much longer," the source, who is close to resistance groups, said. "Hezbollah were desperate to sign the ceasefire agreement because they could not have held on for even one month longer." 'The arms are a symbol of our cause and our resistance. The moment we give up our arms, is the moment we have given up our cause' - Palestinian Islamic Jihad source In April, a Hezbollah source told the AFP news agency that the movement had ceded 190 out of 265 military positions south of the Litani River to the Lebanese army. Meanwhile, informed sources outside of Hezbollah told MEE that the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon was a long way off, despite Washington imposing excessive pressure on the Lebanese government. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas was recently in Beirut on a three-day mission, and Palestinian and Lebanese sources told MEE that the trip was intimately tied to disarming Palestinian factions in the country's refugee camps. After meeting President Aoun, a joint statement released on the Lebanese presidency's X (formerly Twitter) account said there was a commitment by "both sides to the principle that all weapons in the country must be controlled by state authorities'. However, several sources told MEE that Palestinian factions, who largely posses a range of light to medium weapons, would refrain from relinquishing their weapons due to fears of potential massacres. This was confirmed by interviews MEE conducted in Beirut's Burj al-Barajneh camp. Najwa refused to leave her village so Israeli troops shot her in her home Read More » Palestinians in Lebanon vividly remember the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre, when Israel-backed Christian Lebanese militiamen killed between 800 and 3,500 civilians, mostly women, children, and the elderly. "No one in the camps is giving up their arms," Zaki, a man affiliated with Islamic Jihad, told MEE. "The arms are a symbol of our cause and our resistance. The moment we give up our arms, is the moment we have given up our cause. All factions of the resistance received a hit but will come back much stronger, as they have done in the past." A Palestinian academic source summed up the mood of all Palestinian factions in the camps, telling MEE: "How is it only the question of Palestinian arms?" "All the main political parties, even the Druze, have their own arms," he said. "If every single party has its own arms, what is the problem of Palestinians defending themselves? "Palestinians don't have heavy weapons. So let us talk about the problem of arms in the whole of the Lebanese community before we talk about any one group disarming," he added.
Middle East Eye
9 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Exclusive: US warns UK and France not to recognise Palestinian state
The US has warned Britain and France against recognising a Palestinian state at a UN conference later this month, Middle East Eye can reveal. France and Saudi Arabia are set to co-host a major UN conference on the two-state solution beginning on 17 June in New York. France is reportedly gearing up to unilaterally recognise a Palestinian state at the conference. MEE understands that France has been lobbying Britain to do so as well. French officials believe the British government is onboard with the plan, according to French media. But Washington privately begun to warn Britain and France against unilaterally recognising Palestine, sources with knowledge of the matter in the British Foreign Office told MEE. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters At the same time Arab states are urging them to proceed with the move, sources said. In late May, UN member states held consultations in preparation for the conference during which the Arab Group urged states to recognise Palestinian statehood. The Arab Group said they would measure the success of the conference by whether significant states recognise Palestine, Foreign Office sources added. 'No grounds for US interference' Approached for comment, the Foreign Office pointed MEE to Foreign Secretary David Lammy's statement on 20 May in which he reaffirmed UK support for a two-state solution. Lammy has publicly opposed unilateral recognition, insisting earlier this year that the UK would only recognise a Palestinian state "when we know it's going to happen and it's in sight". But in late April, Lammy acknowledged for the first time that Britain was in discussion with France and Saudi Arabia on the topic. Israel threatens UK and France with West Bank annexation if they recognise Palestine Read More » Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, told MEE: 'There are no legitimate grounds for the US to interfere in a sovereign decision by Britain and France to recognise another state. 'A Franco-British recognition would be to acknowledge the Palestinian right to nationhood and to be equal partners in any future negotiations with Israel.' Doyle added: 'Based on precedent with this British government, US objection to recognition would be more likely to have an impact on Britain than on France.' But the American president is unpredictable. 'What really counts is what President Trump himself thinks,' Doyle said. 'Opposing unilateral recognition is an existing American position. 'But if I was in Downing Street, I would be asking what does the president himself believe - and how will he react?' If France and Britain go ahead with the move, they will become the first G7 nations to recognise a Palestinian state. Alon Pinkas, who advised four Israeli foreign ministers, told MEE on Monday that French President Emmanuel Macron's push to recognise Palestinian statehood 'is serious and has the backing of most of the European Union and Saudi Arabia'. The move would cause a political earthquake, since both France and Britain are among Israel's most important historic allies. Exclusive: UK considered Palestine recognition in 2014 if Israel built settlements now being planned Read More » And Israel has signalled it would not take the move lying down. Last week Ron Dermer, Israel's strategic affairs minister, threatened Britain and France that Israel may annex parts of the West Bank if they recognise a Palestinian state, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz. MEE revealed earlier this month that Britain privately decided in 2014 it would consider recognising a Palestinian state if Israel advanced with the contentious E1 settlement project. Israel is currently poised to move forward with the settlement plan, which would effectively split the occupied West Bank in two. Meanwhile, domestic pressure is ramping up in Britain. 'Starmer is facing significant levels of anger throughout the entirety of the Labour party and the British public,' Doyle said, 'even in circles that would ordinarily support the Israeli government.' Several MPs told MEE last month they believe the UK must recognise a Palestinian state immediately. Labour MP Uma Kumaran, a member of Britain's Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said: "This government was elected on a manifesto that promised to recognise Palestine as a step towards a just and lasting peace. "I strongly support the recognition of a Palestinian state, and I have raised this repeatedly in parliament, on the Foreign Affairs Committee and with ministers."
