Facts
During the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011, the intelligence services of the former Syrian regime (Military Intelligence, Air Force Intelligence and General Intelligence Services) reportedly systematically arrested, tortured and killed persons who opposed or were suspected of opposing the regime. The former government’s aim was to stop the protest movement at the earliest possible stage through the intimidation of the population.
In their roles as head of the General Intelligence Branch 335 and head of investigations of the Criminal Security Branch, Khaled H. and Musab A. R. are suspected of having committed crimes against civilians in detention facilities under their command between 2011 and 2013 in Raqqa, Syria. They are alleged to have orchestrated and to have personally participated in the torture and abuse of detainees, as part of efforts to suppress protests against former president Bashar al-Assad. Former detainees are reported to have experienced beatings, electric shocks and the use of primitive instruments to inflict suffering at detention facilities under their control.
Musab A. R. is reported to have claimed asylum in Austria in 2015. He is reported to have been identified after being recognised in a refugee camp by one of his alleged victims, who reported him to the camp administration.
Procedure
In 2016, the Austrian prosecutorial authorities initiated an investigation into the crimes allegedly committed by Khaled H., following the submission of evidence by the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA). The investigation into the crimes allegedly committed by Musab A. R. was initiated in 2016.
On 12 November 2025, the Vienna Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that it had filed charges again Musab A. R. and Khaled H. for serious crimes against civilians in custody, namely torture, grievous bodily harm, sexual coercion and serious coercion. Twenty-one victims have joined the proceedings as private plaintiffs.
Musab A. R., who is reported to have been arrested shortly after Khaled H. in December 2024, appealed against his detention to the Higher Regional Court of Vienna. In January 2025, his appeal was granted and he was released from detention subject to less restrictive measures.
Musab A. R.’s trial started on 1 June 2026.