Mehdi Nemmouche Appeals Life Sentence for Role as ISIS Hostage-Taker
Convicted of detaining and abusing Western hostages, including four French journalists, Nemmouche continues to deny charges and claims he only fought against Bashar al-Assad's regime.
- On March 31, 2025, Mehdi Nemmouche's lawyer announced an appeal of his life sentence handed down by the Paris Special Assize Court on March 21, 2025.
- Nemmouche was convicted of being a geôlier for ISIS in Syria, responsible for the abuse and detention of Western hostages, including four French journalists in 2013.
- The court also recognized 25 journalists and aid workers as victims of ISIS, some of whom were killed in propaganda videos, highlighting the systematic targeting of such groups.
- Despite detailed testimonies from former hostages identifying him as 'perverse' and 'sadistic,' Nemmouche maintains his innocence, asserting he joined ISIS to fight Bashar al-Assad.
- Previously sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2014 Brussels Jewish Museum attack, Nemmouche has been described by prosecutors as a 'sociopath devoid of empathy.'
Ouest-France 
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