Former Syrian official charged with torture in L.A.

A federal grand jury in Los Angeles has charged a former Syrian government official with torture, according to U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 72, of Lexington, South Carolina, was the head of Damascus Central Prison during the Assad regime, also known as Adra Prison, from approximately 2005 through 2008. He ordered some prisoners to Adra Prison’s “Punishment Wing”.

According to the DOJ’s statement, “Alsheikh allegedly ordered subordinates to inflict and was sometimes personally involved in inflicting severe physical and mental pain and suffering on political and other prisoners.”

One of the torture methods used was the “Flying Carpet,” which folded a prisoner’s body in half, causing excruciating pain and sometimes leading to fractured spines, according to the statement. Prisoners were also reportedly beaten while suspended from the ceiling with their arms extended in the prison’s “Punishment Wing.”

“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 Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Alsheikh later allegedly lied about his crimes to obtain a U.S. green card.”

U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California commented, “The allegations in this superseding indictment of grave human rights abuses are chilling. Our country will not be a safe harbor for those accused of committing atrocities abroad.”

Alsheikh, who held various positions within Syria’s police and state security apparatus and was associated with the Syrian Ba’ath Party of the Assad regime, was appointed governor of Deir Ez-Zour in 2011 by ousted President Bashar al-Assad. The indictment alleges that Alsheikh immigrated to the United States in 2020 and applied for U.S. citizenship in 2023.

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, said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent Eddy Wang. “The United States will never be a safe haven for those who commit human rights abuses abroad.”

Alsheikh has been charged with three counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture to the visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud charges. The ex-Syrian official faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit torture charge, 20 years for each of the three torture charges, and 10 years for each of the two immigration fraud charges.

The news comes in the wake of last week’s collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, following a swift offensive by Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The group captured several key cities before seizing the capital, Damascus, prompting Bashar al-Assad to flee to Moscow, Russia.