Charges Against Officials of the Syrian Assad Regime in Vienna
The Austrian judiciary has brought charges against two former high-ranking representatives of the Syrian Assad regime. They are accused of serious crimes against humanity, including grievous bodily harm, sexual assault, and systematic torture of detained civilians in Syria. The proceedings are based on the principle of universal jurisdiction, which allows such atrocities to be prosecuted regardless of where they were committed.
The Palace of Justice, seat of the Higher Regional Court of Vienna. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Gugerell / CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
The main defendant, a 61-year-old former brigadier general and former head of Department 335 of the Syrian secret service (2009 to March 2013), has been in custody at Josefstadt Prison since his arrest on December 23, 2024. He is also known in the Austrian media as the “torture general,” as reported by ORF.
Second defendant released after appeal
The second defendant, a former lieutenant colonel in the criminal investigation department who headed the investigation department in al-Rakka between 2011 and 2013, was also arrested but released shortly afterwards, as reported by ORF. An appeal against his detention was upheld by the Vienna Higher Regional Court (OLG), as it saw no grounds for his detention. The man, who was honored as “Syria's best criminal investigator” in 2010, is said to have been personally involved in numerous acts of torture against prisoners, according to witness statements.
The Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office accuses the men of committing the crimes to suppress the protest movement against Bashar al-Assad's regime at the time and to intimidate the civilian population. The abuse in the detention rooms is said to have been shocking: according to reports, detainees were systematically psychologically abused and regularly tortured with beatings, electric shocks, and the use of primitive instruments. The hygienic conditions in the sometimes overcrowded cells (up to 25 prisoners in a five-by-five-meter space) were catastrophic.
21 victims as private parties and the “White Milk” scandal
So far, 21 victims have been identified who have joined the proceedings as private parties due to the permanent consequences they suffered, some of which were severe, as reported by ORF. The penalty for the alleged crimes is one to ten years' imprisonment.
The case is overshadowed by a serious political scandal in Austria, as reported by ORF. The first defendant, the Syrian Druze general who, according to media reports, is also said to have worked for the Israeli secret service Mossad, was brought to Austria from France in 2015 by the now-defunct Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution and Counterterrorism (BVT).
The cooperation agreement, known as “White Milk,” not only secured transportation and accommodation for the Syrian officer, but the BVT also helped him with his asylum proceedings. The agreement was spearheaded by the then BVT department head, Martin Weiss. Weiss is now himself wanted internationally on an arrest warrant for his alleged involvement in the flight of former Wirecard manager Jan Marsalek to Russia. He is believed to be in Dubai. A trial for abuse of office against three former BVT officials and an official from the Federal Office for Immigration and Asylum (BFA) in connection with “Operation White Milk” ended in acquittals in 2023. Martin Weiss did not attend the main hearing.