U.S. prosecutors have filed an indictment accusing two senior Syrian officials of overseeing a torture center that targeted peaceful protesters, including a 26-year-old American woman who was reportedly executed. The indictment was released following a rebel offensive that ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has been accused by the U.S., U.N., and others of committing widespread human rights abuses during his 13-year campaign to suppress opposition forces.
The conflict in Syria, which initially began as a nonviolent uprising in 2011, has resulted in the deaths of approximately half a million people. The indictment, filed on Nov. 18 in a federal court in Chicago, marks the U.S. government's first legal action against networks associated with Assad's intelligence services and military branches that were allegedly involved in the detention, torture, and killing of thousands of perceived adversaries.
