Austrian prosecutors have filed war crimes charges against two former Syrian officials accused of overseeing abuses against detained civilians during Syria’s war, in the latest European effort to hold members of the former regime accountable.
According to a statement cited by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the men are accused of committing “crimes against civilians in the city of Raqqa between 2011 and 2013,” during the government’s violent crackdown on anti-Assad protests.
The suspects, identified as a former intelligence brigadier and the former head of the local criminal investigation office, who held the rank of lieutenant colonel, allegedly took part in widespread detention and torture operations. Prosecutors said that 21 victims have been identified so far.
Both men reportedly sought asylum in Austria in 2015 and have lived in the country since. If convicted, they face up to 10 years in prison.
The indictments come amid a series of international legal actions targeting senior officials of Syria’s former regime. In September, French authorities issued seven international arrest warrants, including for President Bashar al-Assad and his brother Maher al-Assad, over the 2012 shelling of a media center in Homs’ Baba Amr district, which killed U.S. journalist Marie Colvin and French photographer Rémi Ochlik.
