A former Syrian general has pleaded not guilty in an Austrian court to torturing opponents of ousted President Bashar al-Assad. Brigadier General Khaled al-Halabi made his plea as the trial opened on Monday in Vienna, facing charges including torture, aggravated coercion, sexual coercion and inflicting serious bodily harm alongside police chief Lieutenant Colonel Musab Abu Rukba.

The two defendants, who face up to 10 years in prison, are alleged to have committed the crimes in the Syrian city of Raqqa between April 2011 and March 2013. Prosecutors accused them of “having, on numerous occasions, ordered or failed to oppose the mistreatment of members of a protest movement.”

Al-Halabi, a Druze who fled Raqqa in 2013 just before ISIL overran the city, denied that torture happened while he was in command. He told the court through a translator that there were “no instructions” from the government to use violence, and his unit only took down personal details of detainees.

The trial is scheduled to last until June 30, with alleged victims living in Syria and Europe expected to testify. This case is part of a series of similar trials in Europe for crimes committed during the Syrian civil war, with previous cases in Germany, France and Sweden.

Source: www.aljazeera.com