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Austrian court convicts ex-intelligence chief in Syria’s Raqqa of torture

By Thomson Reuters Jul 6, 2026 | 8:44 AM

VIENNA, July 6 (Reuters) – An Austrian court on Monday ​convicted a former ‌Syrian intelligence chief in the city of Raqqa of offences ‌including ​torture and ⁠sexual assault ⁠over the mistreatment of opponents of then-leader Bashar al-Assad more ​than a decade ago.

The court ⁠in Vienna ⁠sentenced the primary ​defendant, identified as ​Khaled al-H, to eight ‌years in prison after more than a dozen victims ⁠testified they were beaten, electrocuted or doused in ⁠hot ‌and cold ⁠water while he ​was ‌head of the ​General ⁠Intelligence Directorate in Raqqa from 2011 to 2013.

(Reporting by Francois MurphyEditing by Alexandra ​Hudson)