Inside the Majdi N. Trial #28: Testimony of Civil Party from Douma who Met Majdi N. in Prison and Endured Torture at Age 15

TRIAL OF MAJDI N.

Court of Assize – Paris, France

Trial Monitoring Summary #28

Hearing Date: May 20, 2025

 CAUTION: Some testimony may include graphic descriptions of torture, rape or other violent acts.  

Note that this summary is not a verbatim transcript of the trial; it is merely an unofficial summary of the proceedings.  

Throughout this summary, [information located in brackets are notes from our trial monitor] and “information placed in quotes are statements made by the witness, judges or counsel.” The names and identifying information of witnesses have been redacted. 

[Note: SJAC provides a summary of the proceedings while redacting certain details to protect witness privacy and to preserve the integrity of the trial.]

[Note: Rather than publishing the trial reports of the Majdi N. case in chronological order, SJAC has organized them thematically and coherently based on the content of the hearings, making the material more accessible by highlighting key issues and connections across the proceedings.]

SJAC’s 28^th trial monitoring report details day 12 of the trial of Majdi N. in Paris, France. On this trial day, W22 reported that he lived in Douma and began photographing crimes committed in his town, both by the regime and by factions. He used to actively criticize Jaysh Al-Islam on social media, was arrested by the group on January 4 or 5, 2015, and was detained for around two months. W22 explained how he was accused of being a Freemason and was subjected to torture and poor detention conditions. At some point, W22 was transferred to cell No. 1, which held children. W22 testified that one day, Majdi N. opened the peephole of the cell and came in for around 10-15 minutes to tell the children not to argue. W22 also reported to have seen Zahran Alloush in detention. W22 was then sent to religious training. W22 also testified to having seen the Accused in a convoy passing in Douma around 2012-2013. 

Day 12 – May 20, 2025  

Afternoon Session

Proceedings resumed at 2:17 PM.

[Redacted name] W22 started working in the [revolutionary] Media Office in Douma in early 2013. The Office was independent from Jaysh Al-Islam and other factions and headed by Mohamed Flitani محمد فليطاني, F33. W22 detailed how he came to work as a photographer for this office when he was only 13 years old. He reported that Mohamed Flitani also headed the Syrian Socialist Party, whose office was close to W22’s family home.

When the city of Zamalka زملكا was targeted by chemical attacks in 2013, the injured were transferred to Douma, and W22 documented cases as they arrived in the town’s medical centers. He reported that it was the first time he witnessed so many people dying at the same time.

Regarding the assassination of Mohamed Flitani around April 2014, W22 declared that to this day, there was no definitive answer. It was said that Jaysh Al-Islam was behind the killing because they had no interest in having Mr. Flitani in the region, as he was committed to promoting a secular state.

After the death of Mohamed Flitani, W22 worked with his uncle. He reported to having been arrested by Jaysh Al-Islam on January 4 or 5, 2015. W22 also declared that the group was responsible for the famine affecting Ghouta. At the start, W22 declared, he had no issue with Jaysh Al-Islam, but then learned that the group began arresting and torturing people. W22 testified that he had also witnessed patrols with minors carrying weapons. W22 recalled that Mohamed Flitani believed it was important to interact with them but considered having children within their rank inappropriate.

When asked if he knew of Jaysh Al-Islam practices encouraging young people to join as soldiers, W22 reported that the faction spoke with children’s families, and promised to provide food and a salary, or to marry the child off and give him a weapon. Families showed interest in the food and salary because of the siege, W22 testified, and the weapon and the reputation of being a fighter were also appealing. Since most of Jaysh Al-Islam’s commanders were Muslim scholars, W22 relayed, such speeches were mostly spread in mosques, where people went with their children.

Presiding Judge Lavergne asked about precise cases of child enlistment in Jaysh Al-Islam that the Civil Party witnessed, and W22 mentioned [redacted name] and [redacted name], F80, who were respectively 17 and 16 years old when they died as “martyrs."

When questioned about his arrest, W22 recounted that Jaysh Al-Islam had a conflict with Jaysh Al-Umma at that time and arrested everybody. At midnight, they entered the apartment of W22’s friend. Everyone was apprehended, even though they were civilians, and placed in a cave for three hours before being transferred by bus to a place called ‘Cornice,’ where the Al-Batoon prison was located. W22 could not see the building from the outside because he was blindfolded, but understood the building was old when he got inside.

W22 was placed in a cell with 47 other people, who were all civilians. Nobody entered the cell for the first 16 days. During the first few days, W22 reported that he could not eat because they would give a small plate of food for many people, and since he was not quick enough, he could not get a piece. Detainees drank toilet water through the hose of the squat toilets. The cell was very small—some people had to stand so that others could lie down, W22 recalled. W22 could speak to other detainees, and nobody was blindfolded inside the cells. W22 insisted that Jaysh Al-Islam arrested anyone if they had even a suspicion that they belonged to Jaysh Al-Umma, or that they talk about Jaysh Al-Islam negatively.

W22 said that he endured no interrogation [in the first location he was detained in]. One time, they took him out of the cell and asked what his name was. W22 told them, adding that he was 15 years old, so they transferred him to cell No. 1 which was full of children. Only one person in that cell called “the Sheikh” was an adult and had to take care of the children. Among the 30 to 35 children, the oldest was 16 years old and the others were between 7 and 13 years old, W22 testified. In that cell, someone would often open a small hatch on the door to ask a few questions to the older person. Only one person ever entered the cell, W22 testified, and it was Islam Alloush.

The Accused opened the peephole on the door, W22 recounted, and the adult in the cell told him that two children were quarreling. Majdi N. came in for around 10-15 minutes and told the children not to argue, that they had to be good. Then he left. The inmates told W22, “Look at what he’s wearing!” It was very cold, W22 testified, and Majdi N. had a lot of warm clothes on. W22 described them as military clothes, which most Jaysh Al-Islam leaders were wearing.

Presiding Judge Lavergne asked how W22 could recognize Majdi N., and W22 explained that he had previously seen him in convoys, in media, and on TV. When asked how Majdi N. behaved with children, W22 reported that he was not violent and rather encouraging. He told them that they were comrades, and would fight together once they get out, implying that they would join Jaysh Al-Islam.

Presiding Judge Lavergne asked if military training was given to young detainees. After his release, W22 testified, he underwent religious training in which he was told that it was a good thing to become a fighter. After that, they continued with military training. W22 testified that after he was interrogated, he was transferred to the At-Tawba prison, where he stayed for six hours. He was then transferred to the training center.

W22 reported that he was first detained in Al-Batoon, and then Al-Kahf, where he endured torture and was submitted to interrogation twice. W22 stayed 16 days in the first cell and then four to five days in the minors’ cell, both in Al-Batoon. According to W22, Al-Kahf was reserved for interrogations and torture.

Regarding the conditions of detention in the children’s cell, W22 reported that the older children were told to remain in a corner and not talk to the other children. One child said he came from Adra, and W22 confirmed this boy was still in the cell the day Majdi N. entered.

After five days in the children's cell, W22 was blindfolded and brought to a location two minutes away from the prison. Since he originated from this city, W22 asserted, he could tell where they had been brought, which the people inside [the new place they were detained in] confirmed.

Proceedings were suspended at 3:31 PM and resumed at 3:50 PM.

Presiding Judge Lavergne inquired about prison Al-Batoon. At first, W22 reported, they were in glass rooms. After four to five hours, W22 was interrogated by someone he knew very well and who recognized W22 immediately. The interrogation was very quick: That person asked W22 what he was doing and then asked someone else to take W22 outside. W22 was led to a cell with around 15 to 20 people, where he stayed for two days. At first, W22 was the youngest. He reported to having seen blood on the floor and hearing voices of people being tortured—they did it on purpose so that others could hear the screams, W22 asserted.

W22 was summoned for an interrogation with Sheikh [redacted name], F81. W22 claimed that he had nothing to do there and never worked for Jaysh Al-Umma or any other military faction. F81 asked W22 to show him his back, and W22 was wearing a jacket with a picture of a skull and flames drawn on the back. People in the cell had told W22 that F81 should not see that symbol, so W22 turned his jacket inside out, but F81 saw it and asked, “What’s that?” W22 said, “It’s just a jacket—I can’t afford to buy anything else,” after which F81 accused him of being a Freemason.

F81 then told others to lay W22 down on the ground. That’s when W22 noticed blood stains on the floor. W22 reported that he was lying on his stomach, and they brought a rope and a wooden plank and told W22 to lift his feet. Then, they tied his feet up around the ankles, so that the blood would stop circulating. W22 asked why they were tightening it like that, and F81 said, “We’re going to make your blood come out through your skull.” Then, they started hitting him with a whip on his back, on his buttocks, and his legs, and each time, they shouted, “You are Freemason! Devil worshipper! Celebrate the Prophet!” W22 recalled that he was screaming, crying, and begging them to stop. He was barefoot, it was very cold, and the beating was extremely violent. W22 didn’t remember how many lashes he got—maybe around 70. Then, F81 told him to stand up, but W22 couldn’t, and fell back down. F81 said that they would keep hitting him as long as he stays on the ground, so W22 forced himself to get up, and then two other people brought him back to the cell.

When they brought W22 back to the cell, he was told that as a civilian, he would be released. The next day, they called W22, made him sit in a chair, and took out a razor. At that moment, W22 started begging the man, telling him that if he shaved him, it would not grow back. Then they shaved W22’s head. After that, they took him out of the prison facility and put him into a closed pickup truck—a refrigerated vehicle, and W22 was transferred to prison Al-Batoon, in cell No. 1 for children.

W22 was taken out, and army guards stood outside. They told him he would undergo religious training. W22 retorted that he was a civilian and came from a believing family. They responded that he would not have been brought there if he was not considered the trash of society. The training started at 5 a.m. with the prayer, and one by one, the Sheikhs would come to give lectures and religious instruction. When they slept, the cell was locked, W22 added.

When questioned by Presiding Judge Lavergne about who attended the training, W22 explained there were adults of all ages. They were promised that after the training, they could choose to join Jaysh Al-Islam or not. On the last day, a month later, everyone was called. One person was recording names—it was to check if some of them needed to be sent back to prison. When W22’s turn came, they gave him a choice: “Do you want to join our ranks, or do you want to leave?” W22 said he preferred to go home, and they tried to convince him to stay, saying he needed to pay the price for being a Freemason. W22 said that he did not even know what that meant. They let him go, W22 recounted, telling him he could come back anytime. W22 testified that upon his release, he had lost a lot of weight, his appearance was frightening, and he had become bald at 15.

W22 insisted that he could not have gone through the training without his uncle who came to bring him food, because the meals were very small. One time, someone cried, saying they were too hungry, and the response was, “You should thank God that we’re even managing to feed you.” W22 indicated that his uncle from his mother’s side was taking care of him, and all his uncles from his father’s side were also in Ghouta at that time. W22 reported that his uncles left between May and June 2015, and paid 100,000 Syrian pounds to Jaysh Al-Islam and 300,000 Syrian pounds to the regime.

After W22 was released on bail, his father then told him to go to Turkey. W22 first left for Damascus but then went back to Douma through tunnels to see his family. The next day, people in Jaysh Al-Islam came to ask where W22 was. At that moment, W22 left Douma for Aim Terma عين ترما, in Ghouta, a town that was not under Jaysh Al-Islam’s control. That is when W22 started to write articles and contact Western channels, before establishing a media center in Damascus.

W22 added that Majdi N. was in charge of polishing Jaysh Al-Islam’s image. Without his work, nobody would have thought that Jaysh Al-Islam was fighting the regime, defending civilians, etc. This image allowed the group to secure funding and therefore build prisons, W22 asserted.

Presiding Judge Lavergne asked W22 if he met other leaders of Jaysh Al-Islam. W22 recounted that once he arrived in prison Al-Batoon, he heard Zahran Alloush’s voice, as he was speaking loudly. The detainees were kneeling, facing the wall. W22 did not know if it was Zahran Alloush or someone else, but someone was kicking the people kneeling in the back and asking them to state their identity and which faction they were working with. When W22 said he was a civilian and did not work for anyone, the man replied mockingly, “Yeah, now you're all civilians!" [redacted name], F25 would also go around checking the cells in prisons Al-Batoon and Al-Kahf, W22 remembered, and would open the small peephole on the cell doors.

W22 reported that he also saw several commanders during the religious training—some came to give lectures, others to check on the situation on the ground, all in the name of religion. Once, Zahran Alloush came. He told them that they had to be more patient because they had rushed to work with Jaysh Al-Umma. Several people told him that they were civilians, and Zahran Alloush replied that if they were truly on the right path of Allah and His Prophet, they would not be here. He added that he understood the detainees were going through a difficult time but assured them that many people who had passed through this eventually became important figures who followed the principles of religion. At that occasion, Zahran Alloush mentioned Islam Alloush and their common detention in Sednaya to show that they also went through such things and to make an example of what they had achieved since then. According to W22, Zahran Alloush said that Islam Alloush was his jailer. Presiding Judge Lavergne commented that no evidence supported this statement.

Before W22 left Ghouta, his uncle was killed by Jaysh Al-Islam, and W22 was told that it was because of him and his posts on social media. W22 said that, until today, he had no response about his uncle’s death and wished to ask Majdi N. why they had killed this 70-year-old man. Defense Counsel Kempf made a sign to the Accused that he should not respond.

In W22’s view, Islam Alloush had been chosen because he was clever. Zahran Alloush trusted him and told him confidential information. W22 insisted that Jaysh Al-Islam expanded and gained control over Douma thanks to Majdi N.’s propaganda. W22 said he hoped that justice prevails, since the Accused would not face trial in Syria in these times.

Civil Parties’ Counsels’ Questioning of W22

Counsel Bailly inquired about the reasons behind W22’s arrest. W22 confirmed Jaysh Al-Islam said that he was supporting other factions. He added that they commonly arrested young men and had no scruples about taking kids around 12 years old. After W22’s arrest, Jaysh Al-Islam came to search houses in W22’s neighborhood and took W22’s phones. On the day of his arrest, W22’s phone was also seized.

Counsel Bailly noticed that the accusations went from backing other factions to saying that having long hair and wearing a jacket made W22 a Freemason. W22 commented that they had to find a pretext so that he would not just be seen as a civilian. For one of his friends, W22 explained, they said he was involved in drug trafficking, and for another, they said he was gay.

Counsel Bailly referenced a hearing of Majdi N. in which the Accused testified that information about detention centers came from detractors and opponents of Jaysh Al-Islam. When precisely questioned about the At-Tawba prison, Majdi N. declared that it was a center dedicated to punishing members of Jaysh Al-Islam. W22 commented that, on the contrary, Majdi N. was precisely the one who knew about everything. In W22’s view, it was not logical that someone who was in command had no knowledge of that, whereas an 11-year-old boy could give names of Jaysh Al-Islam’s leaders, etc.

When questioned if the act of shaving his head was a form of humiliation, W22 confirmed, adding that he begged them not to do it. W22 reported that to this day, he suffers from psychological issues because of it. When he arrived in France, he was 19 years old, but people didn’t believe it. People might think it's nothing, but it’s something very important to him. He has seen doctors who told him that even a hair transplant would be very difficult, because his hair no longer grew. W22 added that the razor had been put in the toilet before he was shaved, and Turkish doctors later said it looked like that part of his scalp had been poisoned or contaminated. It was not a detail, but a pattern of humiliation, W22 emphasized.

When questioned about the other detainees, W22 recalled there were two friends of his from Douma, and children from Adra Al-Omaliya. Presiding Judge Lavergne mentioned [redacted name], W11, who declared to have seen Islam Alloush in the At-Tawba prison, where especially children and women were detained. W11 depicted the Accused as someone in good shape and fat. W22 added that Majdi N. was short compared to W22’s father, who is 1.92 meters tall, and his mother, who is 1.88 meters tall.

Counsel Bailly wondered how W22 recognized Majdi N. in detention, and W22 explained that as a journalist, he followed news related to factions. As such, he always saw Majdi N. on the television, the internet, or in reports, and saw him several times in vehicles. Concerning the jacket Majdi N. was wearing when he entered W22’s cell, Counsel Bailly referenced Majdi N.’s declaration that Zahran Alloush had offered him one. W22 commented that it was an elegant jacket and that only the commanders wore that type of thick military-style shirt, with another kind of jacket layered over it. W22 again confirmed that the Accused was the man he saw.

When asked if Majdi N. was one of the commanders of Jaysh Al-Islam, W22 said that the Accused himself recognized having worked in an operation that occurred thanks to radio communication. Majdi N. could hear all radio messages circulating among Jaysh Al-Islam’s members and could also give orders to gather all operatives in a specific location. W22 added that all operatives had walkie-talkies, but the leader in charge of the main headquarters could provide the codes to the operatives so they could communicate with each other without others being able to hear or listen in. Using the coded frequencies, the operatives could talk among themselves, especially in the context of arresting someone, executing someone, etc.

W22 confirmed that once people were killed, Zahran Alloush was the one giving orders to loot and steal from them. Counsel Bailly noted that W22 declared Islam Alloush boosted the morale of the troops, especially the children in whom he instilled values of Jihad. W22 said he witnessed that himself when Majdi N. entered his cell, adding that Majdi N. believed the children were from Adra Al-Omaliya and not from Douma. W22 also said that when Jaysh Al-Islam conducted an operation, Majdi N. was informed beforehand if civilians were killed so as to not be surprised once interrogated live, and for his words to be as clear as possible. W22 confirmed it amounted to a strategy of communication. When Majdi N. was questioned by journalists about civilians who had been targeted, Majdi N. said they were rumors and untrue. In response to Counsel Bailly about the fact that Islam Alloush was called Sheikh, W22 explained that other commanders were also called this way.

Counsel Bailly mentioned the training at the farm of Al-Shafuniyah الشفونية, where [redacted name]to have seen Majdi N. in an office in March 2013, which the Accused denied. W22 was asked what Jaysh Al-Islam proposed after the religious training, and W22 repeated that the trainees could either join Jaysh Al-Islam or go back home, and the salary ranged from 200 to 300 dollars. W22 confirmed he was 15 years old at that time. Counsel Bailly then asked if W22 saw child soldiers. W22 recounted that he filmed battles in 2017 and 2018 and saw children whose weapons were taller than themselves. From 2014 to 2016, W22 recalled, some checkpoints with the flag of Jaysh Al-Islam were guarded by children.

Counsel Bailly asked what W22 expected from Majdi N. W22 responded that, as a commander, the Accused had information and wondered why, from its creation to this day, he was still defending Jaysh Al-Islam. W22 believed Majdi N. could talk about prison, enforced disappearances, his uncle who got killed, etc.

Counsel Bailly reported that W22 had expressed to him his surprise that Majdi N. could be so relaxed and smiling during W22’s hearing. W22 noted that from the start, Majdi N. took things lightly, and kept saying that the Judge was against him. W22 wished Majdi N. would not see himself as a victim, since he was among the ones responsible. In W22’s view, just like Bashar Al-Assad pretended that he was fighting terrorism to obtain support, Islam Alloush said Jaysh Al-Islam defended the Syrian people to secure funding. Maybe he killed nobody, but he let others killed people, W22 concluded.

Prosecution's Questioning of W22

Prosecutor Havard noted that Majdi N. declared he did not want people to call him Sheikh, but many messages supported the fact that he was called so.

Prosecutor Havard noted that Majdi N. said he went back to Syria around ten times. In January 2015, the Accused declared that he was at a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Turkey and notably met with the French Ambassador Franck Gellet, who gave him his card. Prosecutor Havard asked W22 if he was sure to have seen Majdi N. in prison in January 2015. W22 replied that Jaysh Al-Islam was among the few factions who had had an agreement with the regime since 2013 to have a secure way to enter and leave [Ghouta] as they wished. Zahran Alloush could be somewhere one day, and far away in another region the next day, W22 asserted. They paid a lot of money to have these privileges, as well as weapons and food.

Prosecutor Thouault noted that in February 2015, W22 managed to leave after having paid 100,000 Syrian pounds to Jaysh Al-Islam and 300,000 Syrian pounds to the regime. W22 declared he did not leave through a tunnel but on a route that was the only one used to bring goods to Douma. Prosecutor Thouault mentioned a document that attested that factions allowed civilians to use the tunnels for 120,000 Syrian pounds. W22 confirmed, stressing that even merchants had to pay, which explained why prices rose up to ten times. W22 added that tunnels were accessible by cars.

Prosecutor Thouault referenced a video showing the entrance of a tunnel where Jaysh Al-Islam’s emblem was visible and commented that it looked like a real engineer’s work. W22 confirmed tunnels looked like this and said that the one which gave access to Ghouta was in the town of Irbin عربين. Jaysh Al-Islam was stationed at one position, while the other factions controlled other checkpoints.

Concerning the day W22 saw Majdi N. in a vehicle, Prosecutor Thouault asked if W22 was told that it was Majdi N. or if he recognized him himself. W22 confirmed he saw him personally, stressing that at that time, nobody was surprised that they passed through the town. W22 recalled that [redacted name], a man he knew well, was with Majdi N. The car window was rolled down, W22 added. W22 dated the scene to 2013, or maybe before.

Defense Counsel’s Questioning of W22

Counsel Ruiz reminded W22 of the charges brought against Majdi N. and asked him if he had any recollection of Majdi N. influencing his arrest or having had an impact on his detention before it happened. W22 responded that without Majdi N., they could not have built these prisons, explaining that they modified the structure of the building for it to become like a prison of the Syrian regime. To W22, this proved that Islam Alloush brought money, and that Jaysh Al-Islam was not besieged but had access to a road to leave Ghouta. Counsel Ruiz asked how precisely Majdi N. assisted in W22’s detention. W22 insisted that if Majdi N. had not pretended that Jaysh Al-Islam members were good people, W22 would not have starved in prison.

Counsel Ruiz referenced a note from the Specialized Assistant of the French National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, which specified that as early as July 2012, Liwa Al-Islam had the means to commit an attack on Damascus. Counsel Ruiz asked W22 if the group was not already funded before the Accused joined in November or early December 2012. W22 denied, testifying that in 2012 and before, civilians used to bring food to fighters who were indeed protecting them at that time. In this period, the fighters behaved like honorable people and respected the population. From 2013 or 2014, W22 continued, they became more important and did not need civilians’ support anymore, because they received funding. From that point on, they did not care about the people.

Counsel Ruiz noted that W22 had declared before the Investigative Judge that Majdi N. was short, referring to his own father being 1.93 meters tall. Counsel Ruiz declared that Majdi N. was 1.96 meters tall. W22 explained that he used a harsh word before the Judge, and said Majdi N. looked like a fool, short and fat. W22 said he did not want that to be translated because he wanted to show respect.

In response to a question from Counsel Ruiz on the jacket Majdi N. was wearing when W22 saw him in detention, W22 specified that not all commanders had the same jacket, but all were the same desert sand color. There were no other characteristics of the Accused's jacket, W22 specified, except the fact that it was thick.

Counsel Ruiz wondered what Majdi N.’s interest was, as spokesperson, to come to a prison and separate children quarreling in a cell. W22 responded that the question should be asked to Majdi N., adding that he did not think that it was part of Majdi N.’s duties at all, but like everyone else, they made rounds. Counsel Ruiz asked if such rounds by commanders were frequent, and W22 declared that several commanders passed, including F25 and Islam Alloush.

Counsel Ruiz asked if W22 saw Majdi N. during the training in Al-Shafuniyah, which W22 denied. He repeated that he had seen the Accused in prison in 2015 and in a convoy around 2012-2013. Counsel Ruiz noted that Majdi N.’s attitude had displeased W22. W22 commented that Majdi N. was obviously well and ate well since he was detained [in France], adding that he himself was detained for two months and treated like a dog.

Counsel Ruiz noted that W22 was born in January 2000, so he was 13 when he started working in the [previously mentioned] media office of a civil society organization. W22 responded that if he had joined Jaysh Al-Islam, he would have died two weeks later. There was a difference between carrying a camera and a weapon. Counsel Ruiz said it was not his question, and asked if, generally, children worked to support the revolution. W22 testified that children who had their father and mother were more controlled and generally forbidden to participate in anything. In other cases, such as W22, who did not have his parents, or families which were in need, children could participate. The more the famine worsened, W22 added, the more people turned to military factions, because they provided salaries. W22 said that it was his decision to take pictures, and nobody told him he had to contribute to Jihad or join the fighters of the Prophet. He was a minor but did not act because he had been brainwashed by an adult, W22 insisted.

Presiding Judge Lavergne asked the Accused if he wished to react. Majdi N. declared that he had not been in this prison but in Turkey [at that time] and descriptions given by W22 were inexact. Majdi N. added that he only once wore the jacket W22 talked about, and it was at the time he arrived in Northern Syria. The accusations W22 made against him related to a time when he was in another country. Concerning his height, Majdi N. stressed that people from the National Basketball Association (NBA) were as tall as him.

Presiding Judge Lavergne further inquired about the location of the January 2015 meeting with diplomats, at a time when W22 saw the Accused in the Al-Batoon prison. Majdi N. declared the meeting was in Istanbul, stressing that the documents [related to it] were on his computer. Presiding Judge Lavergne noted that from the many files found in his iPhone, no messages were dated January 2015. Majdi N. said he did not remember, but asserted that since May 28, 2013, he had not set foot in Ghouta again.

Proceedings continued with the projection of a video testimony of [redacted name] F20 [See Trial Report #21].

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