France tries Syrian Islamist rebel ex-spokesperson for war crimes

A SYRIAN Islamist rebel ex-spokesman went on trial in France yesterday under the principle of universal jurisdiction, accused of complicity in war crimes during Syria's civil war.

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As his trial opened, Majdi Nema, 36, told the court in Paris there was no evidence to back charges against him.

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 detained and charged under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to prosecute suspects accused of serious crimes regardless of where they were committed.

This is the first time that crimes committed during Syria's civil war have been tried in France under the universal jurisdiction.

Nema - better known by his nom-de-guerre of Islam Alloush — has been charged with complicity in war crimes between 2013 and 2016, when he was spokesman for a Syrian Islamist rebel group called Jaish al-Islam.