Austrian court to rule on torture charges against two former Syrian officers
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – An Austrian court is set to deliver its verdict on Monday in the trial of two former Syrian security officers accused of torturing detainees during the early years of Syria’s conflict.
According to AFP, 63-year-old Khaled al-Halabi, a former brigadier general in Syria’s intelligence services who has been in pretrial detention since 2024, faces charges including torture, sexual coercion, and multiple counts of causing grievous bodily harm.
The second defendant, Musab Abu Rukba, 54, a former lieutenant colonel and head of a local criminal investigations office, is accused of grievous bodily harm and sexual coercion committed while serving in the city of Raqqa between April 2011 and March 2013.
Austrian prosecutors allege that the two men repeatedly ordered or failed to prevent the abuse of individuals involved in Syria’s protest movement during the early stages of the conflict.
Prosecutors further contend that al-Halabi acted under direct instructions from the al-Assad regime and systematically employed established methods of torture.
The two defendants pleaded not guilty at the begining of their trial in June and could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.