A former Syrian guard faces torture charges nearly 20 years after his alleged crimes. U.S. prosecutors called the allegations “chilling” and “heinous.”
Samir Ousman Alsheikh moved to the U.S. in 2020 and lived in South Carolina. Documents from the indictment said the former prison guard led the Damascus Central Prison before migrating to America.
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A federal grand jury indicted the 72-year-old Thursday for allegedly torturing prisoners who opposed former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Allegations against Alsheikh
These allegations date back to 2005 when U.S. officials said Alsheikh had a hand in causing “severe physical and mental pain.”
Over three years, he allegedly sent prisoners to Adra Prison’s “Punishment Wing,” where guards inflicted abuse. Documents said guards beat prisoners while their bodies hung from the ceiling. Sometimes, guards used a torture device to fold prisoner bodies in half at the waist, possibly fracturing spines.
The Justice Department said these charges prove the U.S. will not allow war criminals to escape accountability.
“The victims of such violent treatment continue to suffer long after the physical acts of torture have ceased,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
Authorities arrested Alsheikh at the Los Angeles airport for separate charges.
Prosecutors said Alsheikh hid his previous employment as a prison guard when applying for U.S. citizenship and a green card.
Assad regime falls
The charges come after Syrian rebels overturned Assad’s government and condemned the years of torture thousands faced while imprisoned.
If convicted, Alsheikh could spend up to 50 years in prison for multiple counts of torture, immigration fraud and conspiracy to commit torture.
In a statement, Alsheikh’s lawyers denied the charges, calling them false and politically motivated.
