Latest news with #JaishAlIslam
The National
5 days ago
- General
- The National
Verdict expected in Paris trial of former Syrian rebel spokesman
A verdict is expected to be issued on Wednesday in the month-long trial of a former spokesman of Syrian rebel group Jaish Al Islam. In his last statement to the jury before it withdrew to deliberate, Majdi Nema, 36, reiterated his innocence but did not address the charges that have been issued against him. He is accused of complicity in the group's war crimes and risks 20 years in prison. Mr Nema, who has spent five years in pretrial detention in France after his arrest in the southern city of Marseille, said he wants to return to his studies. 'I want to return to Syria and work on punishing all those responsible of crimes, whatever their allegiance,' he said, in a reference to Syria's new rulers which have integrated rebel groups like Jaish Al Islam into the Defence Ministry. The recent change in Syrian leadership and the fall of the Assad regime in December after more than five decades at the helm of the country dominated the trial. The prosecution requested that the jury drop charges of complicity in the war crime of enrolment and conscription of minors, which may reduce the sentence by half in the case of conviction. Syrians who testified at the trial said they felt divided over the fate of Mr Nema, who left Jaish Al Islam in 2016. Speaking anonymously out of fear for their safety, one said that he had 'paid enough' by spending five years in pretrial detention and that he cared little if he was released now. Anas Al Kholi, a civil party in the case who was imprisoned by Jaish Al Islam, said that he hoped he would get the maximum sentence because of his prominent role in the group which likely involved information about its crimes. Mr Nema was initially arrested for charges involving the disappearance of four prominent human rights activists who were likely kidnapped by Jaish Al Islam in a Damascus suburb in 2013. Those charges were dropped in 2023, largely for procedural reasons. Syrian activists had hoped that Mr Nema would give information about their fate at the trial, which did not happen. Jaish Al Islam has always rejected accusations of involvement in their disappearance. Relatives, some of whom believe they were killed in captivity, say they have proof that senior officials ordered the kidnapping but that the leadership was informed after it happened.
The National
30-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
Jaish Al Islam war crimes charges heard in Paris court
The trial of a Syrian former rebel spokesman in Paris has heard how he assisted the group in preparing deliberate attacks on civilians that included war crimes. Mejdi Nema, 36, who served as spokesman for the rebel faction Jaish Al Islam between 2013 and 2016, has been accused of playing a key role in a group that was responsible for 'wilful attacks on life' during the Syrian protests. Prosecutors accuse Mr Nema of complicity in acts of torture, killings and use of civilians as human shields - allegations that Jaish Al Islam itself has denied. In 2015, the group allegedly placed Alawite women in cages on rooftops to discourage bombardments by the regime. Mr Nema is being prosecuted under France's universal jurisdiction laws, reserved for the gravest international offences such as war crimes, torture and crimes against humanity. Court documents allege that Mr Nema was careful to avoid leaving a digital trail during his time with the rebels. Contacted by journalists during atrocities, he was asked 'what was going on with the cages'. The state case shows he did not answer or suggested other ways of communicating. French investigators, however, uncovered data from Mr Nema's iPhone and laptop and spoke to witnesses that cast doubts on his claims of marginal involvement. One Syrian witness said he was personally hired at age 13 by Mr Nema to join Jaish Al Islam. At the time, people were so poor that they were known to send their children to fight for rebel groups for $100 a month. Photos also show him wearing military fatigues and carrying weapons. Messages show that he conveyed tactical information such as: 'Thank you for doing reperage [sic] and observation.' In his CV, he wrote he was 'commander of Jaish Al Islam training camps in northern Syria' and 'supervisor of the zone between Al Bab and Raqqa'. The proceedings have put renewed focus on brutal sectarian crimes committed more than a decade ago during Syria's civil war – many of which remain unpunished. The defendant rejects the allegations and denies any involvement in alleged atrocities committed by the group. 'I'm a politician,' he told the court, standing behind a glass enclosure. Mr Nema has been in pretrial detention since 2019, when he was arrested during a student exchange trip to Marseille. The trial is set to run until May 27. According to court documents viewed by The National, French prison doctors assessing his mental state described him as exhibiting traits ranging from 'antisocial, even psychopathic' to 'calm, respectful, attentive, confident and patient'. One of his brothers called him 'brilliant'. Mr Nema has not yet been allowed to address the charges in detail. He has repeatedly said he would rather be tried in Syria, though no extradition request is known to have been lodged by Damascus. Following the fall of the Assad regime in December, Syria is governed by former rebel groups. Though Mr Nema's defence argued that he would face a fair trial in the Syrian capital, the country remains volatile, with reports of revenge killings and massacres. 'It is clear that the transitional justice that could be implemented in Syria is very uncertain and is in its infancy,' said First Deputy Prosecutor at France's National Anti-Terrorism Office Sophie Havard. In his defence, Mr Nema is set to emphasise his residence in Turkey since 2013, claiming he was not involved in Jaish Al Islam's operational decisions. During a short stint in prison in 2009, he struck up a friendship with the group's leader Zahran Alloush, who died in 2015. They were so close that he chose a similar nom-de-guerre: Islam Alloush. Born in Saudi Arabia in 1988, Mr Nema moved to the north-west Syrian city of Idlib at the age of three. He later studied medicine in Damascus while engaging in anti-regime activism and operating several businesses, including a pharmacy, a restaurant and a cafe. In 2012, one year after the start of the civil war, he defected from the Syrian army to join the group that would become Jaish Al Islam. Mr Nema has sought to present himself as a moderate voice within the movement, claiming he advocated for peace with Israel, supported participation in UN-backed Geneva talks, and opposed the recruitment of child soldiers. He denied sharing Jaish Al Islam's salafist ideology. 'My mission was very clear: I was given information and told 'you must say this, or that',' he said. The prosecution argues there is evidence that Mr Nema was close to the group's operations. Messages also describe negotiations with ISIS over prisoner swaps, and reference executions. 'Brothers at Jaish put the body in the car and carried the beheaded head in their hands before exhibiting it,' reads one of the messages. Mr Nema told French investigators that he could not recall the incident. Exhibiting a decapitated head is a 'violation of international humanitarian law', he said, though the execution itself must 'not necessarily be qualified as a war crime'.
The National
29-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
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.
