Austria sentences Syrian intelligence chief for systematic torture

A Vienna court 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, overseeing beatings, electrocution, and waterboarding. More than a dozen survivors testified. The conviction marks Austria's first prosecution of Assad-era officials under universal jurisdiction—a legal principle allowing countries to try foreign suspects for grave crimes.