Austria convicts Syrian intelligence chief of systematic torture

A Vienna court on July 6, 2026, sentenced Khaled al-Halabi, former head of Syria's General Intelligence Directorate in Raqqa, to eight years for torture, sexual assault, and serious bodily harm. Al-Halabi ran the facility from 2011–2013, directing systematic beatings, electrocution, and waterboarding. More than a dozen survivors testified. The case marks Austria's first prosecution of Assad-era officials.