A French court has cleared the way for a former spokesman of an extremist rebel group to stand trial for war crimes in France over the kidnapping and torture of civilians in Syria.
Majdi Nema – who was known as Islam Alloush while spokesman of Jaish Al Islam – could stand trial under the principle of universal jurisdiction following his arrest in 2020 after he travelled to France for his studies.
A court on Monday reversed a previous decision that will allow prosecutors to pursue people accused of the most serious international crimes even if they have no links to France. The ruling is expected to be appealed by lawyers for Mr Nema.
Jaish Al Islam, one of a number of rebel factions fighting the Syrian government, was active in Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, where it was regularly accused of committing crimes against civilians who lived under its rule from 2011 to 2018.
The group is accused of kidnapping and torturing four human rights activists – known as the Douma Four – who have not been seen since they were snatched in 2013 in Douma.
“We now hope that a trial can be held in France that can shed light on the fate of the Douma Four and provide justice to the Syrian victims,” said Mazen Darwish, director of the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), which has worked with other groups to secure evidence and witnesses.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and SCM filed a legal complaint in 2019 identifying about 30 members of Jaish Al Islam to try to put them before a court if they turned up in Europe.
It identified crimes including torture in prisons that the group controlled and disappearances of civilians in Eastern Ghouta, said the organisation. The group, said to number more than 20,000 fighters, lost control of the area in 2018.
The case is still under investigation but rights groups say they expect a decision on whether Mr Nema will be brought to trial later this year. He claimed to have left the group after its founder was killed in an air strike in 2015. He was studying politics in Turkey and France, where he was arrested.
The case is still under investigation but rights groups say they expect a decision on whether he will be brought to trial this year.
“This would be the first trial for war crimes committed in Syria but not by the regime,” said Clemence Bectarte, a lawyer for FIDH.
The case is one of a number in Europe in which victims and lawyers have worked to bring cases against those behind brutal crimes during the war in Syria.
France in 2018 issued arrest warrants for three high-ranking Syrian officials accused of complicity in the torture and death of a father and son after their detention five years earlier in a notorious regime prison.
The three accused include a senior lieutenant of the Syrian president, reflecting French judicial views that responsibility for the deaths of Mazen Dabbagh, 58, and his son Patrick, 20, went to the top of the Assad regime. No arrests have been made.
In Germany, former Syrian intelligence officer Anwar Raslan was convicted in January of crimes against humanity.
He was sentenced to life in prison for overseeing the murder of 27 people and the torture of 4,000 others at Al Khatib detention centre in Damascus in 2011 and 2012.
It was the first case to find a senior official in the regime of Bashar Al Assad guilty of crimes against humanity.
FIXTURES
December 28
Stan Wawrinka v Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Milos Raonic v Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 29 - semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Stan Wawrinka / Pablo Carreno Busta, 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Milos Raonic / Dominic Thiem, no earlier then 7pm
December 30
3rd/4th place play-off, 5pm
Final, 7pm
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Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
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F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
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Oscar (90)
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Key 2013/14 UAE Motorsport dates
October 4: Round One of Rotax Max Challenge, Al Ain (karting)
October 1: 1 Round One of the inaugural UAE Desert Championship (rally)
November 1-3: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Formula One)
November 28-30: Dubai International Rally
January 9-11: 24Hrs of Dubai (Touring Cars / Endurance)
March 21: Round 11 of Rotax Max Challenge, Muscat, Oman (karting)
April 4-10: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Endurance)
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HAJJAN
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THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 680Nm
Price: Dh465,071
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
RESULTS
Bantamweight
Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
(Split decision)
Featherweight
Hussein Salim (IRQ) beat Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
(Round 1 submission, armbar)
Catchweight 80kg
Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Otabek Kadirov (UZB)
(Round-1 submission, rear naked choke)
Lightweight
Ho Taek-oh (KOR) beat Ronald Girones (CUB)
(Round 3 submission, triangle choke)
Lightweight
Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) beat Damien Lapilus (FRA)
(Unanimous points)
Bantamweight
Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
(Round 1 TKO)
Featherweight
Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
(Round 1 rear naked choke)
Flyweight
Shannon Ross (TUR) beat Donovon Freelow (USA)
(Unanimous decision)
Lightweight
Dan Collins (GBR) beat Mohammad Yahya (UAE)
(Round 2 submission D’arce choke)
Catchweight 73kg
Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM) beat Islam Mamedov (RUS)
(Round 3 submission, kneebar)
Bantamweight world title
Xavier Alaoui (MAR) beat Jaures Dea (CAM)
(Unanimous points 48-46, 49-45, 49-45)
Flyweight world title
Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
(Round 1 RSC)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
