Vienna, June 1 (SANA) An Austrian court on Monday opened the trial of two former Syrian officials of the deposed regime accused of involvement in torture and the mistreatment of detainees during the early years of the Syrian revolution.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), prosecutors allege that the defendants, a former brigadier general in Syria’s intelligence services and a former lieutenant colonel who headed a local criminal investigations office, either ordered or failed to prevent the abuse of opposition figures and civilians detained in Raqqa province between 2011 and 2013.
Austrian prosecutors said 21 people were subjected to torture and other forms of mistreatment while in detention. The charges include torture, aggravated coercion, sexual coercion and causing serious bodily harm, offenses that carry prison sentences of up to 10 years under Austrian law.
The proceedings are expected to continue through the end of June, with testimony anticipated from victims and witnesses residing in Syria and several European countries.
Prosecutors said the case is being pursued under Austria’s obligations stemming from the U.N. Convention Against Torture, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and domestic legislation allowing the prosecution of certain serious crimes committed abroad.
The prosecution did not publicly identify the defendants, in accordance with Austrian legal practice prior to a court ruling.
However, Austrian newspaper Der Standard identified one of the defendants as former brigadier general Khaled al-Halabi. Austria’s national news agency reported that he has been held in pretrial detention since late 2024.
AFP reported that The New York Times identified the second defendant as former lieutenant colonel Musab Abu Rakba, citing his lawyer. Both men reportedly sought asylum in Austria in 2015 and have lived there since.
The Vienna trial comes amid a broader series of European judicial proceedings involving former officials and associates of the deposed Syrian regime accused of human rights violations during the years of the Syrian revolution.
R.D/ABD
