Former Syrian General Denies Torture Charges at Start of Vienna Trial

A former Syrian general pleaded not guilty on 1 June 2026 in an Austrian court to charges of aggravated torture, coercion, sexual coercion and bodily harm. Brigadier General Khaled al-Halabi, 63, entered the plea as his trial opened in Vienna alongside Lieutenant Colonel Musab Abu Rukba, 54. Both men face up to 10 years in prison.

Prosecutors accuse them of ordering or failing to stop the mistreatment of 21 individuals detained during a crackdown on a civilian protest movement in Raqqa between April 2011 and March 2013. Al-Halabi, a Druze who served as an intelligence officer, has been held in pre-trial detention since 2024.

He told the court through a translator that no torture occurred under his command and that there were no government instructions to use violence.

He said his unit only recorded the personal details of detainees and did not conduct investigations. Abu Rukba did not testify. His lawyer, Philipp Wolm, stated there was no evidence against him. The Vienna court has jurisdiction because both defendants reside in Austria.

They applied for asylum there in 2015. Prosecutors said al-Halabi received direct instructions from the Assad government and that violence was applied systematically using standardised methods, including beatings and hosing detainees. The Commission for International Justice and Accountability informed Vienna of the alleged crimes in 2016.

Masked, armed police stood guard during the hearing. The trial is scheduled to continue until 30 June, with alleged victims living in Syria and Europe expected to testify. Similar cases involving alleged crimes from the Syrian civil war have been tried in Germany, France and Sweden.