Vienna court convicts two former Syrian Raqqa officials of torture and sexual coercion

Vienna court convicts two former Raqqa officials for torture and sexual coercion, marking a landmark accountability ruling for Syrian war crimes.

Vienna court convicts two former Syrian Raqqa officials of torture and sexual coercion
Liberal TR Haber Merkezi
Publish: 07.07.2026
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The Vienna court found two former Syrian security officials guilty of torturing and sexually abusing opponents of President Bashar al-Assad in Raqqa, Austrian prosecutors announced after the verdict in 2026; both were sentenced to eight years in prison.

Prosecutors said the convicted men, identified under Austrian privacy rules as Khaled al-H. and Moussab Abou R., served in Raqqa during the 2011–2013 period when anti-government protests and unrest escalated, and that they ordered or failed to prevent systematic abuse of detainees.

The court heard testimony from former detainees who had traveled from across Europe and Syria, describing repeated beatings, forced nudity, electric shocks and alternating immersion in hot and cold water. One witness recounted blows to the soles of his feet with electric cables.

Khaled al-H., who led the General Intelligence Directorate in Raqqa from 2011 until the city fell to the Free Syrian Army in 2013, denied ordering or witnessing torture and said he had followed orders as a member of the Druze minority.

Both defendants were convicted of sexual coercion, aggravated coercion and causing serious bodily harm; prosecutors said the abuses aimed to suppress protests and intimidate the population. The court also noted many victims suffer lasting psychological trauma.

The two men applied for asylum in Austria in 2015. Media reports cited by the Austrian Press Agency say Khaled al-H. was brought to Austria earlier under an operation reportedly involving the former domestic intelligence service (BVT) and Israel’s Mossad, with oversight by former BVT head Martin Weiss.

Martin Weiss is currently wanted in connection with possible links to fugitive former Austrian spy Jan Marsalek, who is believed to be in Moscow, the agency reported. The convicted officials retain the right to appeal the verdicts handed down by the Vienna court.

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Liberal TR Haber Merkezi
Liberal TR Haber Merkezi
A digital news platform delivering developments in Türkiye and the world to its readers with an objective and principled perspective. Liberal TR Haber Merkezi.
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