Austria prosecutes Assad intelligence ex-officials

A trial has begun in Vienna for a former deputy director of Syrian intelligence and a former head of the local criminal investigation bureau, charged with torture of opponents of Bashar Assad's regime. They are accused of giving orders to mistreat and detain civilians between 2011 and 2013 in Raqqa during the crackdown on protests. The defendants are Khaled Al-Halabi, who is believed to have been in pre-trial detention since late 2024, and Captain Musab Abu Rukbah. They face sentences of up to 10 years in prison. The trial comes within the context of investigations into torture and mistreatment carried out by the Austrian judiciary, based on orders from the Syrian government and agreements with international parties, amid concerns that Austria may be a haven for war criminals.