A former Syrian military official who oversaw one of the country’s most notorious prisons during the civil war has been charged with multiple counts of torture, U.S. federal authorities announced on Thursday.
Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, 72, who served as the head of Syria’s Adra Prison between 2005 and 2008 under the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, is accused by a U.S. grand jury of overseeing brutal torture and being directly involved in abuse at the facility.
The charges come after his arrest in July, when he was detained at Los Angeles International Airport for alleged visa fraud.
The prison has long been infamous for its widespread human rights violations, including arbitrary detention and systemic torture.
A freed Syrian prisoner, left, hugs his brother after being released from Adra Prison on the northeast outskirts of Damascus, Syria, Jan. 16, 2012. In the U.S., Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, A former Syrian military official who oversaw a prison where alleged human rights abuses took place has been charged with several counts of torture.
Muzaffar Salman/AP, file
What Is Syrian Former Military Official Samir Ousman Al-Sheikh Accused Of?
The charges against al-Sheikh—who is facing allegations of conspiracy to commit torture, as well as individual counts of torture—represent a significant step toward accountability for war crimes, according to human rights advocates.
“This is a huge step toward justice,” said Mouaz Moustafa, executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, a Washington-based organization advocating for Syrian victims. “This trial will send a clear message: the U.S. will not allow war criminals to seek refuge on its soil, regardless of whether their victims are American citizens,” he said.
Al-Sheikh, a former brigadier general in the Syrian Army, was detained on July 10 after authorities discovered that he had lied on his visa and citizenship applications.
Authorities said al-Sheikh had been planning to board a flight to Beirut from Los Angeles when he was arrested on charges of immigration fraud.
Mourners attend the funeral procession of Syrian activist Mazen al-Hamada in Damascus, Dec. 12, 2024. His mangled corpse was found wrapped in a bloody sheet in Saydnaya prison. He had fled to Europe but returned to Syria in 2020 and was imprisoned on arrival.
Hussein Malla/AP
How Widespread Were Human Rights Abuses in Syrian Prisons?
Federal investigators said a background check revealed al-Sheikh’s role in Syria’s brutal repression of dissent during the civil war.
The charges have drawn attention to Syria’s wider record of abuse. Human rights organizations, including the United Nations, have long condemned the Assad regime for its widespread use of torture, arbitrary detention, and violence against its own citizens.
Thousands of Syrians were detained without trial, many of them held in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, often for years.
Al-Sheikh’s alleged involvement in the abuses is detailed in the indictment, which accuses him of personally overseeing the torture of prisoners in Adra Prison.
Among the methods used, according to U.S. authorities, were suspending detainees by their arms and subjecting them to physical contortions, often resulting in broken spines.
Al-Sheikh’s defense lawyer, Nina Marino, denied the charges, accusing the prosecution of being “politically motivated”.
Marino said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press: “This is a misguided use of resources for the prosecution of a foreign national for alleged crimes that occurred in a foreign country against non-American citizens.”
Newsweek contacted Marino by email on Friday requesting a response to the charges.
What Is Al-Sheikh’s Background?
Al-Sheikh’s career began in Syria’s police command before he moved to the state security apparatus, where he focused on quelling political dissent.
In 2005, he was appointed head of Adra Prison and later rose to the rank of brigadier general.
He went on to become the governor of Deir ez-Zour, a region in northeastern Syria where the Assad regime led violent crackdowns on protesters during the early days of the Syrian Civil War.
Al-Sheikh immigrated to the U.S. in 2020. He applied for U.S. citizenship in 2023, but it was during this process that federal authorities uncovered his involvement in the Syrian regime’s alleged war crimes.
If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy charge and each of the three torture counts, as well as additional penalties for the two immigration fraud offenses.
The investigation reflects an ongoing effort by international authorities to hold individuals accountable for war crimes committed during the Syrian Civil War, a conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions.
This article contains additional reporting from The Associated Press
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