Former Syrian general denies torture charges in Vienna court
The Vienna court asserts jurisdiction as the trial into systematic abuse during the Syrian civil war opens, with the Commission for International Justice and Accountability having flagged the allegations years ago.
Brigadier General Khaled al-Halabi has pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated torture, coercion, sexual coercion, and bodily harm in a Vienna court. The trial, which opened on Monday, concerns alleged crimes committed in Raqqa, Syria, between April 2011 and March 2013. Al-Halabi denies the allegations, claiming no government instructions to use violence were given. He faces up to 10 years in prison alongside co-defendant Lieutenant Colonel Musab Abu Rukba.
The Vienna court has jurisdiction because the defendants reside in Austria. Both Syrians applied for asylum in the country in 2015, and Halabi has been in pre-trial detention since 2024. At the time of his indictment, activists considered Halabi the highest-ranking Syrian official responsible for abuses present in Europe. Masked, armed police stood guard during the proceedings as the former intelligence officer made his plea.
Prosecutors accused the pair of having, on numerous occasions, ordered or failed to oppose the mistreatment of members of a protest movement. The prosecution claims Halabi received direct instructions from the Assad government and that violence was used systematically using standardised torture methods, including beatings and hosing down. Austrian prosecutors stated that 21 individuals detained in prisons were tortured and abused as part of the crackdown on a civilian protest movement.
Halabi, a Druze who fled Raqqa in 2013 just before the city was overrun by ISIL, denied that torture occurred while he was in command. He told the court through a translator that there were no instructions from the government to use violence and that his unit only recorded personal details of detainees. He added that his unit did not conduct any investigations.
Abu Rukba did not testify. His lawyer, Philipp Wolm, stated there was no evidence against him. The Commission for International Justice and Accountability informed Vienna of Halabi’s alleged crimes in 2016. The trial is scheduled to conclude on June 30, with testimony expected from alleged victims in Syria and Europe. Several similar cases relating to crimes committed during the Syrian civil war have been tried in other countries, including Germany, France, and Sweden.
