Former Jaysh Al-Islam leader detained in France

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
25 Jul 2023 15:17
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Former leader of the Syrian Jaysh al-Islam terrorist group, has been referred to the Paris Criminal Court to face charges of complicity in war crimes.

Former leader of Jaysh Al-Islam: Islam Alloush -undated- (file photo)

The French newspaper Le Figaro reported that the Majdi Nehme, popularly known as Islam Alloush, was referred to the Paris Criminal Court by an investigative judge from the Crimes Against Humanity Unit.

Islam Alloush is the former leader and spokesman for the Syrian Jaysh al-Islam terrorist group, which was founded in 2013.

He was arrested in Marseille in 2020 after he came to France as a student. He is now facing charges of complicity in war crimes and enforced disappearances, in addition to participating in a group formed to commit war crimes, according to the newspaper.

The newspaper also mentioned that Nehme was born in 1988 in Saudi Arabia, and explained that he "was an accomplice in the massacres and torture against the civilian population and prisoners of war detained by the Jaysh Al-Islam group."

In addition, Le Figaro pointed out that "Alloush was being charged with murder, torture, and forced child recruitment."

In response to the indictment against his client, lawyer Roman Ruiz, who defends Islam Alloush with his colleague Raphael Kempf, denounced "the purely political will to judge crimes that we have absolutely no means of judging them."

"The accusations cannot be verified, nor can an investigation be conducted in Syria, so this entire file is based on testimonies and assertions that have never been verified," he said.

The investigation chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal rejected the appeals submitted by the defense team of "Islam Alloush".

Jaysh al-Islam formerly known as Liwa al-Islam was one of the different terrorist groups operating in Syria during the war. The group was part of the Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military Council.