Austria starts trial of ex-regime members over torture

The Vienna court has begun trials of former officials from the previous regime, one of whom is a former brigadier in intelligence and a former head of the criminal investigation office. They are charged with torture and mistreatment during detention between 2011 and 2013 in Raqqa Province. The two defendants face accusations of issuing orders or neglecting to prevent the abuse of 21 individuals. The potential sentence could be up to ten years in prison, with sessions continuing until the end of June.