Key facts
- A former Syrian intelligence chief, Khaled al-H., was convicted of torture by an Austrian court.
- A second Syrian official, Moussab Abou R., was also convicted of abusing political opponents.
- Both men were found guilty of sexual coercion, aggravated coercion, and inflicting serious bodily harm.
- The two men were sentenced to eight years in prison.
- The trial was a rare instance of a European country asserting jurisdiction over crimes committed by Syrian government agents.
A former Syrian intelligence chief, Khaled al-H., has been convicted of torture and sexual abuse by a court in Vienna, Austria. He served as the head of Syria's General Intelligence Directorate in Raqqa from 2011 to 2013. A second Syrian official, identified as former police chief Moussab Abou R., was also found guilty of abusing political opponents.
The court found both men guilty of sexual coercion, aggravated coercion, and inflicting serious bodily harm, sentencing each to eight years in prison. Prosecutors stated that the men ordered or failed to prevent the abuse of anti-government protestors in Raqqa, with the aim of suppressing dissent and intimidating the population.
Victims testified about severe mistreatment, including beatings with electric cables and exposure to extreme temperatures, leading to lasting mental trauma. The two Syrian officials had sought asylum in Austria in 2015. Media reports suggest Khaled al-H. was brought to Austria by the former domestic intelligence service at the request of Israel's Mossad. An Austrian official, Martin Weiss, who formerly headed the intelligence service, is reportedly on the run in Dubai and is wanted for possible links to fugitive spy Jan Marsalek.