“It’s just like an Orson Welles noir movie with spies, torture, escape, capture,” says Janet Anderson, one of the sublime and enthusiastic founders and hosts of our podcast partner Asymmetrical Haircuts, alongside Stephanie van den Berg.
Some bare facts to set the scene: Khaled al-Halabi (former brigadier general and head of the General Intelligence Directorate in Raqqa, Syria) and Musab Abu Rukba (former senior criminal police officer) were charged by Austrian prosecutors with systematic torture, aggravated coercion, and sexual violence against civilian opponents of the Bashar al-Assad regime between 2011 and 2013. In court 20 Syrian survivors testified against the two former officials during the trial, describing harrowing details of lasting physical and psychological trauma. The two denied it all. Al-Halabi was convicted of torture and other crimes. Rukba was convicted on charges that included aggravated coercion and sexual coercion. Both men were sentenced to eight years in prison. They said they would appeal.
But there’s much more to come that include lay judges on the bench (gasp), legal headaches (buckle up), an Austrian security services’ operation “white milk” with Mossad’s alleged involvement (getting excited?), and an escape to new Syria (what?). And to tell you all about this is Astrid Reisinger Coracini, from Salzburg University who monitored the proceedings.
ASYMMETRICAL HAIRCUTS
This podcast has been published as part of a partnership between Justice Info and Asymmetrical Haircuts, a podcast on international justice produced from The Hague by journalists Janet Anderson and Stephanie van den Berg, who retain full control and independence over the contents of the podcast.
