Austria Begins Trial of Two Former Syrian Regime Security Officials

ARK News.. A court in Vienna has begun the trial of two former officials from the security apparatus of the former Syrian regime on charges related to torture and the mistreatment of detainees during the early years of the Syrian uprising.

According to Agency France-Presse, Austrian prosecutors have charged the two defendants—a former intelligence brigadier general and a former head of a local criminal investigation office holding the rank of lieutenant colonel—with ordering or tolerating the abuse of regime opponents and civilians detained in Raqqa between 2011 and 2013 during the crackdown on anti-government protests.

In a statement, prosecutors said that 21 individuals were subjected to torture and ill-treatment while in detention. The defendants face charges including torture, aggravated coercion, sexual coercion, and causing serious bodily harm—offenses that carry penalties of up to ten years in prison under Austrian law.

The trial is scheduled to continue until the end of June, with victims and witnesses residing in Syria and several European countries expected to provide testimony.

Prosecutors emphasized that the case is based on Austria’s obligations under the United Nations Convention Against Torture, the Rome Statute, and Austrian legislation that permits the prosecution of certain crimes committed outside the country.

The prosecution did not disclose the identities of the defendants in line with legal procedures prior to a court ruling.

However, the Austrian newspaper Der Standard identified the former brigadier general as Khaled al-Halabi. Meanwhile, the Austrian Press Agency reported that he has been held in pretrial detention since late 2024.

In November, The New York Times published al-Halaby’s name and identified his co-defendant as Musab Abu Rakbah, citing his lawyer. According to AFP, both men applied for asylum in Austria in 2015 and have resided there since.

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