Syria's rebel priest, presumed murdered, 'spotted in IS jail'

An Italian priest famous for his community work in Syria and efforts in building interfaith dialogue has reportedly been seen alive in an Islamic State group jail. 

A defector from IS has claimed to have seen Paolo Dall'Ogglio, known as Father Paolo, one year after he was proclaimed dead.

Father Paolo was kidnapped by IS militants on 29 July 2013, and was reportedly murdered by the group a year later.

The Jesuit priest was seen at an "Uzbek battalion" jail in al-Tabaqqa town, west of the group's self-declared capital Raqqa, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"I saw Father Paolo in the Uzbek battalion prison in al-Tabaqqa before defecting from IS in early September for religious ideological reasons," said the former fighter, who claimed to have been a senior figure in the group.

Revolutionary priest

The 60-year-old was a well-known supporter of the Syrian revolution and was popular among many armed opposition groups and activists.

"Father Paolo was an inspiring man who devoted himself to promoting tolerance, greater understanding and peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims," said Leila Shami, a British-Syrian writer and activist.

"In 2011 he threw his weight behind the Syrian people's struggle for freedom from tyranny. He was hugely respected by Syrians of all faiths and his kidnapping by IS was a great loss for the revolution."

Father Paolo was an fluent Arabic speaker and was granted "Syrian nationality" by the opposition due to his support for the revolution.

He even won the respect of more hardline Salafi opponents of Bashar al-Assad due to his knowledge and respect for Islam and Syria. 

Due to his high-standing, Father Paolo was seen as a suitable conduit for communications between different parties in Syria's war, which ultimately led to his capture in 2013.

The cleric entered Raqqa trying to strike a deal between jihadis and Kurdish groups. He was kidnapped by IS militants when he entered their territory.

IS was later said to have offered to free Father Paolo if their conditions were met, which included a "huge and unprecedented ransom", according to al-Akhbar.

One condition IS made was that the cleric would only be handed over to the Syrian regime and not the opposition, which sought his release.

Father Paolo had been expelled from Syria in 2012 for his support of the Syrian revolution, but re-entered the country.

IS had based their ransom demands on a religious edict issued by their scholars, which stated that dealing with "apostates" - ie: the Syrian opposition - is "absolutely and categorically prohibited".

The same fatwa said that IS should "[deal] with the Alawites when necessary [as it] is better than dealing with the 'apostates'".

	Father Paolo at Mar Mousa monastry in Syria [AFP]

Supporters of Father Paolo felt that the cash-strapped Damascus government would be highly unlikely to cough up the "astronomical sum" that IS demanded for the release of the opposition-supporting cleric.

In June 2014, rebels said that a Saudi IS militant had likely murdered Father Paolo and that his body was dumped in a pit with government troops.

Syrian support

Father Paolo differed from many other Syrian clergy - many of which have supported Assad throughout the war. The Christian laity have largely preferred to remain on the sidelines in the conflict.

Many Christians have been forced to flee the country, after IS militants seized huge swathes of eastern Syria.

Christians have also been the target of extremist groups such as al-Nusra Front, although the communities have largely been "protected" by the rebels.

Damascus struck a deal with al-Nusra Front to secure the release of a group of nuns who had been held by the local al-Qaeda affiliate for three months.

They were released after the regime agreed to free 150 women and their children from Syrian jails.

Father Paolo was known for his community work with young Christians and Muslims in the country, building relations between the two religious groups.

He served at the ancient monastery of Deir Mar Mousa, 50 kilometres north of Damascus, for 30 years.

It is known for its 11th century frescos with rock formations dating back 10,000 years.

Father Paolo added an annex to the structure and Deir Mar Mousa became a popular retreat for young Syrians of all faiths.

News that he may still be alive brought a wave of emotional tributes from Syrians, including on Twitter.