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Austria Convicts Asylum Seeker of Syria War Crimes

Austrian court sentences asylum seeker to life in prison.

A 27-year-old man seeking asylum in Austria has been sentenced to life behind bars for killing 20 people in Syria. The man, who has not been identified, was arrested in Austria last June. A court on Wednesday found him guilty of shooting 20 unarmed or wounded Syrian soldiers after a battle in Homs during the country’s long-running civil war. Local media reports said the man had bragged to fellow asylum seekers about killing government soldiers while he was a part of the Farouq Brigade, which is associated with the Free Syrian Army. The man has denied the charges, however, and his defense said his testimony had been mistranslated during the trial. He is expected to appeal the charges, which are seen as war crimes under the Geneva Convention.