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Former Syrian Officials Found Guilty in Torture of Pro-Democracy Protesters
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- A Vienna court convicted two former Syrian officials, Khaled al-Halabi and Musab Abu Rukbah, for crimes related to torture and coercion during the crackdown on the Arab Spring protests in Raqqa between 2011 and 2013.
- Both men, who had been living in Austria since 2015, were sentenced to eight years in prison; al-Halabi was found guilty of torture, while Abu Rukbah was convicted of aggravated coercion and sexual coercion.
- The trial, representing one of Austria’s first uses of universal jurisdiction, highlighted the systematic torture carried out by the Syrian secret service, as testified by 17 survivors represented by the Centre for the Enforcement of Human Rights International.
- The case is considered historic in Austria for raising public awareness about the severity of torture and the necessity of criminalizing such acts distinctly.
