Syrian General's Asylum: Officials in Focus

Because a Syrian general, now accused of torture, has been granted asylum in Austria in 2015, the judiciary is investigating officials of the Federal Office for the Protection of Human Rights. Constitution (BVT) and the Asylum Agency (BFA). It concerns the suspicions of abuse of power. The prosecutor of Vienna has entrusted the case to the prosecutor's office responsible for corruption, because an important witness in the BVT case is involved, reports the "Kurier" (Wednesday edition).

Decision of negative asylum in France

"Suspicions against the officials of the BREF and the BFA who still have to be the subject of an investigation" result from the summary of the negative decision taken by the French authorities in matters of asylum and the unfolding of the national asylum procedure ", quoted the prosecutor.

Khalid H. said in his initial investigation that he had already applied for asylum in France and was working as a Syrian military intelligence general. Nevertheless, the BFA had no consultation procedure with France. Moreover, the question of whether H. was possibly involved in torture in Syria had not been the subject of an appropriate investigation. Officials of the BTS have "remarkably often" contacted officials of the BFA in the asylum case of Khalid H., said the prosecutor.

In Austria, the Syrian intelligence officer was granted asylum within six months. In France, his application was rejected at the end of 2017. There he is under investigation for suspicion of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes. After looking this year for a Europol petition in France, the Vienna Public Prosecutor's Office opened an investigation into the Syrian case.