Latest news with #Syrians
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
French court jails ex-Syria rebel for 10 years for war crimes
A French court on Wednesday jailed a former Syrian Islamist rebel spokesman to 10 years for his role in atrocities committed in Syria's civil war in the country's first universal justice case. Majdi Nema, a former spokesman of the rebel group Jaish al-Islam, was found guilty by a Paris court of complicity in war crimes, specifically of conscription of minors aged 15 to 18, and helping to prepare war crimes. "We are relieved," Marc Bailly, a rights lawyer for Syrian civil groups. "Today justice was served first and foremost for Syrians," he said. Romain Ruiz, one of the defence lawyers, called the verdict "relatively incomprehensible", adding that defence was mulling whether to appeal. French authorities arrested Nema in the southern city of Marseille in 2020, after he travelled to the country on a student exchange programme. He was charged under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to prosecute suspects accused of serious crimes regardless of where they were committed. This was the first time that crimes committed during Syria's civil war were tried in France under universal jurisdiction. Nema -- better known by his nom-de-guerre of Islam Alloush -- told the Paris court there was no evidence to back charges against him. He has said he only had a "limited role" in the armed group that held sway in the rebel-held suburbs of Damascus between 2013 and 2016. Jaish al-Islam was one of the main opposition groups fighting Bashar al-Assad's government before Islamist-led fighters toppled him in December. It has also been accused of terrorising civilians in areas it controlled. Nema, who had faced a maximum of 20 years in prison, had in particular been accused of helping recruit children and teenagers to fight for the group. - Universal jurisdiction - His arrest came after rights groups, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), filed a criminal complaint in France in 2019 against members of Jaish al-Islam for their alleged crimes. It was the FIDH that discovered Nema was in France during research into Jaish al-Islam's hierarchy and informed the French authorities. Born in 1988, Nema was a captain in the Syrian armed forces before defecting in 2012 and joining the group that would in 2013 become known 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. Nema travelled to France in November 2019 under a university exchange programme and was arrested in January 2020. 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 the obligation to prosecute offenders. The country's highest court upheld this principle in 2023, allowing for the investigation into Nema to continue. edy/cal/giv/tw
France 24
8 hours ago
- Politics
- France 24
French court jails ex-Syria rebel for 10 years for war crimes
Majdi Nema, a former spokesman of the rebel group Jaish al-Islam, was found guilty by a Paris court of complicity in war crimes, specifically of conscription of minors aged 15 to 18, and helping to prepare war crimes. "We are relieved," Marc Bailly, a rights lawyer for Syrian civil groups. "Today justice was served first and foremost for Syrians," he said. Romain Ruiz, one of the defence lawyers, called the verdict "relatively incomprehensible", adding that defence was mulling whether to appeal. French authorities arrested Nema in the southern city of Marseille in 2020, after he travelled to the country on a student exchange programme. He was charged under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to prosecute suspects accused of serious crimes regardless of where they were committed. This was the first time that crimes committed during Syria's civil war were tried in France under universal jurisdiction. Nema -- better known by his nom-de-guerre of Islam Alloush -- told the Paris court there was no evidence to back charges against him. He has said he only had a "limited role" in the armed group that held sway in the rebel-held suburbs of Damascus between 2013 and 2016. Jaish al-Islam was one of the main opposition groups fighting Bashar al-Assad's government before Islamist-led fighters toppled him in December. It has also been accused of terrorising civilians in areas it controlled. Nema, who had faced a maximum of 20 years in prison, had in particular been accused of helping recruit children and teenagers to fight for the group. Universal jurisdiction His arrest came after rights groups, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), filed a criminal complaint in France in 2019 against members of Jaish al-Islam for their alleged crimes. It was the FIDH that discovered Nema was in France during research into Jaish al-Islam's hierarchy and informed the French authorities. Born in 1988, Nema was a captain in the Syrian armed forces before defecting in 2012 and joining the group that would in 2013 become known 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. Nema travelled to France in November 2019 under a university exchange programme and was arrested in January 2020. 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 the obligation to prosecute offenders. The country's highest court upheld this principle in 2023, allowing for the investigation into Nema to continue.
Int'l Business Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
French Court Jails Ex-Syria Rebel For 10 Years For War Crimes
A French court on Wednesday jailed a former Syrian Islamist rebel spokesman to 10 years for his role in atrocities committed in Syria's civil war in the country's first universal justice case. Majdi Nema, a former spokesman of the rebel group Jaish al-Islam, was found guilty by a Paris court of complicity in war crimes, specifically of conscription of minors aged 15 to 18, and helping to prepare war crimes. "We are relieved," Marc Bailly, a rights lawyer for Syrian civil groups. "Today justice was served first and foremost for Syrians," he said. Romain Ruiz, one of the defence lawyers, called the verdict "relatively incomprehensible", adding that defence was mulling whether to appeal. French authorities arrested Nema in the southern city of Marseille in 2020, after he travelled to the country on a student exchange programme. He was charged under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to prosecute suspects accused of serious crimes regardless of where they were committed. This was the first time that crimes committed during Syria's civil war were tried in France under universal jurisdiction. Nema -- better known by his nom-de-guerre of Islam Alloush -- told the Paris court there was no evidence to back charges against him. He has said he only had a "limited role" in the armed group that held sway in the rebel-held suburbs of Damascus between 2013 and 2016. Jaish al-Islam was one of the main opposition groups fighting Bashar al-Assad's government before Islamist-led fighters toppled him in December. It has also been accused of terrorising civilians in areas it controlled. Nema, who had faced a maximum of 20 years in prison, had in particular been accused of helping recruit children and teenagers to fight for the group. His arrest came after rights groups, including the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), filed a criminal complaint in France in 2019 against members of Jaish al-Islam for their alleged crimes. It was the FIDH that discovered Nema was in France during research into Jaish al-Islam's hierarchy and informed the French authorities. Born in 1988, Nema was a captain in the Syrian armed forces before defecting in 2012 and joining the group that would in 2013 become known 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. Nema travelled to France in November 2019 under a university exchange programme and was arrested in January 2020. 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 the obligation to prosecute offenders. The country's highest court upheld this principle in 2023, allowing for the investigation into Nema to continue. Jaish al-Islam held sway in the rebel-held suburbs of Damascus during the earlier years of the civil war AFP
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
German refugee authority says 464 Syrians have returned voluntarily
At least 464 Syrian refugees have returned home from Germany this month, a spokesman for the office for migration and refugees told dpa on Wednesday. Confirming a report in the Berlin daily Tagesspiegel, the spokesman said the returnees had accepted state assistance that has been available to Syrians since January 13. The option had not been available until the end of the civil war in Syria. The assistance is for travel costs and setting up in Syria, with setting-up costs set at a maximum of €1,000 ($1,130) per person. The number of Syrian refugees in Germany is around 1 million.
9 hours ago
- Politics
EU lifts most Syria sanctions but slaps new ones on alleged culprits in attacks on Alawite civilians
PARIS -- The European Union lifted a wide range of sanctions on Syria on Wednesday, but slapped new ones on people and groups it says participated on attacks on civilians during a wave of violence in the Syrian coastal region in March. The move lifted most sanctions that had been imposed on the country, including on its financial system, while keeping them in place on individuals and organizations in Syria it says violated human rights or for 'security grounds,' like the extended family of former President Bashar Assad or its chemical weapons program, according to the text of the European Council on the decision. The EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas had announced plans to lift the sanctions last week. She said the move was 'conditional' and that sanctions could be resumed if the new government of Ahmad al-Sharaa - a former rebel commander who led the charge that unseated former President Bashar Assad in December - doesn't keep the peace. Kallas said in a statement Wednesday that removing sanctions 'is simply the right thing to do, at this historic time, for the EU to genuinely support Syria's recovery and a political transition that fulfils the aspirations of all Syrians.' Wednesday's decision slapped 'restrictive measures' on two people and three armed groups that were accused of 'targeting civilians and especially the Alawite community' - referring to the religious minority to which Assad belongs - during violence in March on the coast and of torture and 'arbitrary killings of civilians.' Clashes erupted at the time after a group of Assad loyalists attacked security forces near the coastal city of Latakia. Rights groups reported widespread revenge killings as militants from Syria's Sunni majority - some of them officially affiliated with the new government's security forces - targeted Alawites, regardless of whether they were involved in the insurgency. Hundreds of civilians were killed. The new government in Damascus has promised to hold perpetrators accountable, but a body formed to investigate the violence has yet to release its findings. While there have not been large-scale attacks on Alawites since March, members of the community remain fearful and say that individual incidents of kidnappings and killing continue to take place. The two people targeted by the new sanctions are Mohammad Hussein al-Jasim, leader of the Sultan Suleiman Shah Brigade, and Sayf Boulad Abu Bakr, leader of the Hamza Division, both armed groups that the EU said had taken part in the attacks. The militias were also slapped with new sanctions, as was another armed group, the Sultan Murad Division. The lifting of the broader sanctions on Syria comes days after the United States granted Syria sweeping exemptions from sanctions in a first step toward fulfilling President Donald Trump's pledge to lift a half-century of penalties on a country shattered by 13 years of civil war. A measure by the U.S. State Department waived for six months a tough set of sanctions imposed by Congress in 2019. The easing of sanctions removes one of the major barriers to reconstruction of the country, which the United Nations in 2017 estimated would cost at least $250 billion. Some experts now say that number could reach at least $400 billion. The United Nations estimates that 90% of Syrians live in poverty and state-supplied electricity comes as little as two hours every day. ———— Sewell reported from Beirut.
