BURSTA former Syrian official under the rule of former President Bashar al-Assad was federally indicted for torturing prisoners held at Damascus Central Prison from 2005 to 2008, according to a Thursday release from the Justice Department.
U.S. officials said Samir Ousman Alsheikh ordered and occasionally engaged in heinous acts against captives brought to the “Punishment Wing,” an area of the prison where they were hung from the ceiling while subjected to a device known as the “Flying Carpet,” which folded their bodies in half at the waist which sometimes resulting in fractured spines.
Alsheikh who resides in Lexington, S.C., held positions in the Syrian police force and state security and immigrated to the United States in 2020 and applied for U.S. citizenship in 2023.
“Alsheikh later allegedly lied about his crimes to obtain a U.S. green card. The victims of such violent treatment continue to suffer long after the physical acts of torture have ceased,” Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, said in a statement.
“The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting perpetrators of such crimes and will not allow them, through lies and concealment, to hide in the United States.”
Alsheikh was charged with conspiracy to commit torture which he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in addition to a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the three torture charges, and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for two immigration fraud charges.
“Almost 20 years ago, the defendant was accused of torturing prisoners in Syria and, today, we are one step closer to holding him accountable for those heinous crimes. The United States will never be a safe haven for those who commit human rights abuses abroad,” said Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang.