Former Assad-era prison chief found guilty of torture in US federal court in historic first

(SeaPRwire) –   A U.S. federal jury in Los Angeles on Monday convicted a former Syrian prison official of torture and immigration fraud charges, with prosecutors asserting he oversaw and sometimes personally inflicted severe abuse on detainees during the tenure of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s now-deposed government.

Samir Ousman Alsheikh, a former brigadier general who previously led Damascus Central Prison, also known as Adra Prison, was found guilty after a nine-day trial of conspiracy to commit torture, immigration-related fraud offenses, and three counts of torture, according to the Justice Department.

This case represents a significant milestone in the pursuit of accountability, as Alsheikh is the first official from the Assad era to be tried and convicted in a U.S. federal court.

Prosecutors stated that the 73-year-old ordered and supervised the torture of political prisoners between 2005 and 2008. The abuses included beatings, suspension from ceilings, and the use of instruments like the “Magic Carpet,” which contorted victims’ bodies to cause extreme pain.

Authorities reported that he entered the United States in 2020 after misrepresenting his past on his visa application and subsequently sought to become a U.S. citizen.

Alsheikh, who was apprehended at Los Angeles International Airport in 2024 as he attempted to board a one-way flight to Beirut, faces a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison for each torture-related conviction.

“Samir Ousman Alsheikh ordered, directed, and directly participated in heinous acts of torture designed to inflict excruciating mental and physical pain with the goal of punishing and silencing political dissent,” stated Tysen Duva, assistant attorney general for the Justice Department’s criminal division, in a press release.

“For many years, he evaded responsibility for his crimes in Syria, including by lying to U.S. immigration authorities in order to reside in the U.S. with the hope of obtaining citizenship. Thanks to the courage and perseverance of the victims and the dedication of Department of Justice prosecutors, along with their law enforcement partners, justice has prevailed, and Alsheikh can no longer run from his past.”

A federal criminal complaint filed in July 2024 indicated that Alsheikh was associated with Maher al-Assad, the younger brother of Bashar al-Assad, who commanded the Syrian military’s elite Fourth Division.

In 2011, Assad appointed him as governor of Deir ez-Zor following anti-government protests that swept across the country during the Arab Spring.

The Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF), a Washington-based advocacy organization, aided investigators in bringing the former regime official to justice. The group initially identified Alsheikh in Los Angeles through a tip and conducted its own verification using open-source materials and leaked Syrian government data.

SETF then alerted U.S. authorities and collaborated with the FBI and Justice Department to help build the case, including connecting investigators with key witnesses who testified about abuses at Adra Prison. According to SETF, the organization advocated for torture charges rather than solely immigration violations to ensure broader accountability.

Mamoun al-Homsi, a former independent member of the Syrian Parliament, who was arrested in 2001 for advocating democratic reforms and spent five years at Adra Prison, told Digital in an interview, via a translator, that Alsheikh was notably more brutal than other prison directors.

Al-Homsi explained that while previous prison heads generally followed prison regulations and did not single out detainees for their political views, Alsheikh’s appointment in 2005 marked a significant change.

“The toughest torture for me wasn’t anything done to me physically as much as it was what was done to others on my behalf,” al-Homsi stated.

Mouaz Moustafa, Executive Director of SETF and an attendee at the trial, informed Digital that testimony revealed Alsheikh had instructed another prisoner, Khaled Abdul Malek, to poison al-Homsi.

“Khaled Abdul Malek had come so close to Mamoun al-Homsi, so he told him about this plan and told him don’t eat anything from anyone to the point where Mamoun al-Homsi would go to the trash if there was any and wash whatever is left,” Moustafa recounted.

Malek refused Alsheikh’s order to poison the prominent political figure, resulting in his confinement in Wing 13, a notorious section of the prison known for torture.

“Khaled Malik then had his back broken,” Moustafa said, adding that Malek arrived in court using a cane and had difficulty walking.

Al-Homsi reported surviving on olive pits and losing over 60 pounds. He was released in 2006 and later relocated to Canada.

The former parliament member told Digital that the verdict sends a message that former regime officials cannot escape accountability, even if they leave Syria and attempt to establish new lives abroad.

Al-Homsi described the verdict as a sign that justice, though long overdue, is finally being served, an outcome he deemed crucial for the future of a free Syria.