Former Syrian intelligence chief sentenced to eight years in Austria

Vienna's Regional Court sentenced two former officials of Bashar al‑Assad’s regime—Khaled al‑Halabi, who headed Syria’s General Intelligence Directorate in Raqqa, and Musab Abu Rukbah, a former senior police officer—to eight years each for torture, aggravated coercion, sexual coercion and serious bodily harm against 21 civilians between 2011 and 2013. The month‑long trial featured testimony from more than a dozen victims describing beatings, electric shocks, water‑based torture and the use of a “flying carpet” device. The presiding judge rejected the defendants’ claim of being powerless, stating “Of course you were actively aware.” Prosecutors said the case was brought under universal‑jurisdiction and cited a secret 2015 agreement with Israel’s Mossad—dubbed “Operation White Milk”—that facilitated Halabi’s entry into Austria. The court ordered €130,000 in compensation to the victims and left the verdict open to appeal.