Two senior security officials from the former Syrian government of ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad are on trial in Austria, accused of torture, grievous bodily harm and sexual assault, the prosecution at Vienna's regional court said on Monday.
The defendants allegedly mistreated detainees themselves and gave orders for others to do so, the prosecutor said.
The former intelligence general is the highest-ranking representative of the former Syrian government to have been arrested in Europe, according to human rights organization the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR).
The Berlin-based ECCHR and other organizations including Amnesty International are supporting the prosecution in the case, the prosecutor said.
Ex-general brought to Austria with intelligence service help
A spy scandal lies behind the trial. The former general was brought to Austria in 2015 under an agreement between the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad and Austria's domestic intelligence agency.
The Syrian was initially granted asylum rather than being prosecuted. This emerged from media reports on an earlier trial against the Austrian intelligence officers involved, who were acquitted of abuse of office charges in 2023.
The former criminal investigator also lives in Austria as a refugee.
Both defendants pleaded not guilty. They face up to 10 years in prison.
Under Austrian law, crimes committed abroad can be prosecuted in Austria under certain conditions.
Victims to testify in Vienna
Thirteen hearing days are scheduled until the end of June. In the coming weeks, 18 alleged victims of the two defendants are due to give evidence in court.
According to the indictment, the abuse took place between 2011 and 2013 in the city of al-Raqqa. At the time, political protest was suppressed by the authorities in a spiral of violence and repression, the prosecutor said.
The former general headed an intelligence service in al-Raqqa, the capital of the province of the same name. According to the prosecution, he worked together with the also-accused head of the criminal police in al-Raqqa.
Protests against the Syrian government began in 2011 and were violently suppressed. The conflict descended into a civil war with international involvement. Al-Assad was toppled at the end of 2024.
