VIENNA — Brigadier General Khaled al-Halabi pleaded not guilty in a Vienna court to charges including torture, aggravated coercion, sexual coercion, and inflicting serious bodily harm. He and Lieutenant Colonel Musab Abu Rukba are accused of committing crimes in Raqqa, Syria, between April 2011 and March 2013.
Austrian prosecutors alleged that al-Halabi received direct instructions from the Assad government and that violence was used systematically with standardized torture methods, including beatings and being hosed down. They stated that 21 individuals detained in prisons were tortured and abused as part of a crackdown on a civilian protest movement. Prosecutors accused both men of having, on numerous occasions, ordered or failed to oppose the mistreatment of members of a protest movement.
Al-Halabi denied that torture occurred while he was in command in Raqqa. He told the court there were no instructions from the government to use violence. He also said his unit only collected the personal details of detainees and did not conduct investigations.
Musab Abu Rukba, 54, did not testify in court. His attorney, Philipp Wolm, stated there was no evidence against his client. Both al-Halabi, 63, and Abu Rukba applied for Austrian asylum in 2015. Al-Halabi has been in pre-trial detention since 2024.
The Vienna court has jurisdiction over the case because the defendants reside there. The trial is scheduled to last until June 30, 2026. Alleged victims living in Syria and Europe are expected to testify.
Al-Halabi is Druze and fled Raqqa in 2013, just before ISIL overran the city. In 2016, the Commission for International Justice and Accountability informed Vienna of al-Halabi’s alleged crimes. Several similar cases relating to crimes committed during the Syrian civil war have been tried in Germany, France, and Sweden. If convicted, both men face up to 10 years in prison.