(AFP) A former spokesman for a Syrian Islamist rebel group, on trial in France over alleged crimes during Syria’s civil war, sought to present himself as a “whistleblower” on Monday.
Majdi Nema — also known by the nom-de-guerre Islam Alloush — has been charged with complicity in war crimes between 2013 and 2016, when he was spokesman for the Jaish al-Islam (JAI) group.
The 36-year-old, who faces up to 20 years in jail if found guilty, has been accused of helping recruit children and teenagers to fight for the group.
On Monday he surprised judges and defence lawyers at a Paris court by presenting himself as a “whistleblower.”
