US court sentences ex-Syrian official who ran notorious ‘punishment wing’ to 60 years
Summary
A U.S. court in Los Angeles sentenced Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, a former Syrian prison official, to 60 years in prison for overseeing torture at a notorious prison. Al-Sheikh was found guilty of torturing prisoners and lying on U.S. immigration forms after moving to the United States in 2020.Key Facts
- Samir Ousman al-Sheikh was head of Adra prison’s “punishment wing” near Damascus from 2005 to 2008.
- He watched prisoners being tortured through surveillance cameras and took part in the abuse.
- A federal jury convicted him in March 2024 of torture and immigration fraud.
- Al-Sheikh moved to the U.S., got a green card, and applied for citizenship before his arrest in July 2024.
- He is the first high-ranking official from Bashar al-Assad’s regime to be tried in a U.S. court in person.
- Victims described brutal torture methods including beatings, suspension by wrists, and a device called the “magic carpet.”
- The Syrian civil war displaced millions and caused about half a million deaths during the regime’s rule.
- After al-Assad’s regime fell in December 2024, Syria’s new government conducted trials in absentia for former officials.
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