A former Syrian government official has been indicted on torture charges by a Los Angeles grand jury, the US Department of Justice has announced.
Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 72, of Lexington, South Carolina, was reportedly the head of the Damascus Central Prison — colloquially known as Adra Prison — between 2005 and 2008.
While he was leading the prison, Alsheikh allegedly ordered his subordinates to deliver "severe physical and mental pain and suffering on political and other prisoners," according to a DOJ statement. Court documents allege that Alsheikh himself also participated in torture sessions.
The prison reportedly had a "punishment wing" where prisoners were sent to be beaten while they were dangled from the ceiling. Prisoners were also reportedly subjected to a device colloquially called the "Flying Carpet" which folded their bodies in half, causing excruciating pain and sometimes spinal fractures.
“Samir Alsheikh is charged with torturing political dissidents and other prisoners to deter opposition to the regime of then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Alsheikh later allegedly lied about his crimes to obtain a U.S. green card.”
The “victims of such violent treatment continue to suffer long after the physical acts of torture have ceased,” Argenteiri added. “The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting perpetrators of such crimes and will not allow them, through lies and concealment, to hide in the United States.”
US Attorney Martin Estrada said the "grave human rights abuses" in the indictment were "chilling."
"Our country will not be a safe harbor for those accused of committing atrocities abroad," he said.
Alsheikh held several positions in the Syrain police and state security forces, and later as the head of a regional government. In 2011, now-ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad appointed him the head of the Deir Ez-Zour province. Immigration documents report that Alsheikh immigrated to the US in 2020, and applied for his US citizenship in 2023.
“When it comes to pursuing our criminal investigations, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has a long reach and an even longer memory,” said Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang of the HSI Los Angeles Field office.
“The defendant is accused of torturing prisoners in Syria almost 20 years ago, and today, we are one step closer to holding him accountable for those heinous crimes. The United States will never be a safe haven for those who commit human rights abuses abroad,” he added.
Alsheikh had alreay been charged with visa fraud and, attempted naturalization fraud charges prior to the indictment. The indictment adds three counts of torture, and one count of conspiracy to commit torture to his charges.
The former prison leader faces up to 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit torture charges, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the three torture charges. He could receive a maximum of 10 years in prison for his immigration fraud charges.
The indictment follows Assad’s regime collapsed following an offensive led by opposition forces that have been battling for control of Syria since 2011.
Following the fall of Assad , political prisoners inside his regime’s prisons were released en masse, revealing evidence of shocking and disturbing human rights abuses within.
