Former Syrian prison director sentenced to 60 years in the US for torture

Samir Ousman Alsheikh, who led the famous arrest of Adra under the Bashar al-Assad regime, was found guilty of “committing atrocities against human rights in Syria, including to silence political opponents”, by “ordering and participating in the torture of prisoners,” details the statement.

Three former victims testified during the trial about the abuses they suffered, as well as about the acts of torture inflicted on other inmates.

“ The sentence handed down in this case pays tribute to the courage of his victims,” said U.S. Deputy Attorney General A. Tysen Duva, quoted in the statement.

Alsheikh was also convicted of “visa fraud” and “a fraud attempt in the naturalization process”.

The 74-year-old man arrived in the United States in 2020 and applied for US citizenship in 2023. He was arrested and charged in July 2024 in Los Angeles for lying to the American authorities about his past for residence permits.

“ The perpetrators of human rights violations coming to the United States will find no refuge here. We will find them, and will be prosecuted and punished for their heinous crimes,” Duva added.

In late 2024, after an 11-day offensive, a rebel coalition dominated by the Sunni radical Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew Bashar al-Assad's regime.

After the defeat of the regime, the rebels opened the doors of numerous Syrian prisons, including that of Saydnaya, north of Damascus.

The images of extremely weakened and stunned prisoners, some transported by companions because they were too weak to leave their cells, then went around the world.