Vienna Trial of Former Syrian Security Officials Denies Torture Charges

Two former officials of the deposed Syrian regime are on trial in Vienna. Moussab Abou R., former head of the criminal police in Raqqa, and Khaled Al H., also a senior security figure, face charges of torture, serious bodily injury, serious coercion and sexual coercion for alleged crimes committed during the Syrian uprising.

Both defendants pleaded not guilty. Abou R. asserted, “I am a supporter of the revolution since the first day of the revolution,” and denied any involvement in arrests, interrogations or the use of electric shocks on detainees. He claimed to have been hospitalized in Damascus in late 2011 and said he suffers from depression linked to the accusations. The prosecution presented witness testimony describing torture in police detention cells and a witness who recognized Abou R. in a refugee home in Traiskirchen in 2014. A second witness testified in favor of the defendants, stating he had run a food business in Raqqa and knew the police head.

The proceedings are part of broader efforts to hold former Syrian regime members accountable for alleged war‑time abuses after the fall of President Bashar al‑Assad at the end of 2024.