Former Syrian Intelligence Chief Convicted of Torture and Sexual Abuse by Austrian Court

An Austrian court has convicted a former Syrian intelligence chief and a former police official for crimes committed during the early years of Syria’s civil war, marking another significant effort by a European country to prosecute alleged human rights abuses linked to the government of former President Bashar al-Assad.

The Vienna court found the former head of Syria’s General Intelligence Directorate in Raqqa, identified only as Khaled al-H. under Austrian privacy laws, guilty of torture, sexual coercion, aggravated coercion, and causing serious bodily harm. A second defendant, former Raqqa police chief Moussab Abou R., was also convicted on charges including sexual coercion, aggravated coercion, and inflicting serious bodily harm.

Both men were sentenced to eight years in prison.

According to prosecutors, the offences took place between 2011 and 2013, during the early stages of the Syrian uprising against Bashar al-Assad. Khaled al-H. headed the intelligence directorate in Raqqa until the city was captured by the Free Syrian Army, after which he fled the region.

The prosecution argued that the two former officials either ordered or knowingly failed to prevent the torture and abuse of anti-government protesters held in detention facilities. Prosecutors said the campaign of abuse was intended to suppress growing opposition to the Assad government and intimidate civilians participating in demonstrations.

Throughout the trial, both defendants denied the allegations. Khaled al-H. maintained that he neither ordered nor witnessed acts of torture while serving as intelligence chief. He also argued that, as a member of Syria’s Druze minority, he had little choice but to obey orders from higher authorities.

The trial featured emotional testimony from several former detainees who travelled from different parts of Europe and Syria to testify about their experiences. Witnesses described being stripped naked, beaten repeatedly, subjected to electric shocks, and exposed to extreme hot and cold water as part of their interrogation.

One victim told the court he was repeatedly beaten on the soles of his feet with electric cables, while others described suffering severe physical injuries and long-term psychological trauma that continues to affect them years after their detention.

The case is considered a rare example of a European court exercising universal jurisdiction to prosecute crimes allegedly committed by officials of the former Assad government outside Europe. Human rights organisations have increasingly supported such prosecutions, arguing they offer victims an opportunity to seek justice when domestic legal systems are unable to do so.

Both convicted men sought asylum in Austria in 2015 after fleeing Syria. According to Austrian media reports, Khaled al-H. was allegedly brought into Austria through a covert operation involving the country’s former domestic intelligence agency, BVT, reportedly at the request of Israel’s intelligence agency, Mossad, under an operation known as “White Milk.”

The reports also allege that the arrangement was overseen by former Austrian intelligence chief Martin Weiss, who is currently wanted in connection with separate investigations and is reportedly living in Dubai.

The two convicted men retain the legal right to appeal their convictions and sentences. The case is expected to remain closely watched as European authorities continue pursuing accountability for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Syrian conflict.