Overview

• 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.'