Former Syrian general pleads not guilty in Vienna torture trial

A former Syrian brigadier general has pleaded not guilty in an Austrian court at the start of a trial over alleged torture and other abuses in Raqqa during the Syrian civil war. Khaled al-Halabi appeared in Vienna on Monday alongside former police chief Musab Abu Rukba, who is also charged in the case. Both men face allegations linked to the period between April 2011 and March 2013, when prosecutors say detainees were mistreated during a crackdown on a civilian protest movement.

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Al-Halabi, 63, is accused of aggravated torture, coercion, sexual coercion and inflicting serious bodily harm. Abu Rukba, 54, faces the same set of charges, and both men could receive sentences of up to 10 years if convicted. Al-Halabi has been in pre-trial detention since 2024, while Abu Rukba did not testify at the opening hearing.

Their trial is taking place in Vienna because the defendants live in Austria, after both applied for asylum there in 2015. Prosecutors said the pair either ordered or failed to prevent the mistreatment of members of a protest movement. They said violence was used systematically and described standardised torture methods, including beatings and being hosed down.

In court, al-Halabi denied that torture took place while he was in command and said there were no instructions from the government to use violence. He also said his unit only recorded the personal details of those detained and did not carry out investigations. The case is significant because it is part of a wider pattern of war crimes proceedings linked to the Syrian conflict in European courts.

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Similar cases have been heard in Germany, France and Sweden, reflecting the use of universal jurisdiction or related legal routes when suspects are present in a country. The Vienna trial also highlights the continuing legal scrutiny of alleged abuses committed under the rule of Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted after the period covered by the charges. According to the allegations, the crimes took place in Raqqa, a city that later became a major battleground in the Syrian war.

Prosecutors said 21 people detained in prisons were tortured and abused as part of the crackdown. At the time of his indictment, activists described al-Halabi as the highest-ranking Syrian official accused of abuses who was present in Europe, underlining the symbolic weight of the case for victims and rights groups. What remains unclear is how the court will assess the evidence against each defendant and whether Abu Rukba will give evidence later in the proceedings.

The trial is expected to test witness testimony, documentary material and the prosecution claim that the abuse was systematic. The next developments to watch are further hearings, any defence challenges to the evidence, and whether the court reaches findings on command responsibility and individual liability.

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