United States · Courts & human rights ·
U.S. court sentences former Syrian prison chief to 60 years for torture
A federal court in Los Angeles sentenced former Syrian prison warden Samir Ousman Alsheikh to 60 years in prison on September 17. A jury had convicted him of conspiracy and torture, as well as false statements in U.S. immigration proceedings.
Why it matters
The Justice Department says he is the highest-ranking former Assad-regime member tried and convicted in person outside Syria. The sentence is a U.S. court judgment; his lawyers said they plan to appeal.
Full report
The Justice Department says Alsheikh ordered and personally participated in torture while running Damascus Central Prison, also known as Adra Prison, from about 2005 to 2008. Three victims testified about suspension, beatings, tiny filthy cells and a device that forcibly folded their bodies.
A jury convicted him in March of one count of conspiracy to commit torture, three torture counts, visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud. Prosecutors said he concealed his past when entering the United States in 2020; he has been held since his July 2024 arrest.
U.S. District Judge Hernan D. Vera imposed the 60-year term. Associated Press reported that defence counsel intends to appeal, so the sentence does not end every possible legal proceeding.
This report is an original summary based on verified sources, not a verbatim reproduction.
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