Former Syrian rebel spokesman on trial in Paris for war crimes

France's first trial to be held under the universal jurisdiction in relation to war crimes in Syria

A fighter from Jaish Al Islam in Harasta Qantara on the eastern outskirts of Damascus. Former Jaish Al Islam spokesman Majdi Nema is on trial in Paris for war crimes. AFP

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.