A former Syrian government official illegally living in the U.S. was recently indicted by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles for allegedly committing torture under the Assad regime.
Syrian national Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 72, was first arrested in July at the Los Angeles International Airport, where he planned to board a flight to Beirut, Lebanon, on a one-way ticket. He’d been residing in Lexington, South Carolina, after first entering the U.S. in 2020 on a fraudulent visa application that didn’t disclose his role in the Assad regime.
From between 2005 and 2008, he oversaw the Damascus Central Prison under former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to the complaint. Had he disclosed his true identity, he would not have been allowed entry into the country. He applied for U.S. citizenship last year.
He was initially arrested and indicted on visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud charges. In his U.S. citizenship and visa applications he denied that he’d ever persecuted anyone in Syria, according to the criminal complaint.
A new indictment was brought this month, adding three counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture, according to an announcement by the Department of Justice.
While overseeing the prison, Alsheikh allegedly ordered subordinates to inflict severe physical and mental pain and suffering on political prisoners, including allegedly ordering some to be sent to the prison’s “punishment wing,” according to the complaint. Alsheikh was “sometimes personally involved in inflicting severe physical and mental pain and suffering” on the prisoners, according to the complaint.
Methods used involved beating prisoners while suspending them from the ceiling with extended arms. It also involved putting them in a device called the “Flying Carpet” to fold their bodies “in half at the waist, causing excruciating pain and sometimes resulting in fractured spines,” according to the complaint.
“Samir Alsheikh is charged with torturing political dissidents and other prisoners to deter opposition to the regime of then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, the DOJ’s Criminal Division director, said. “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. 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 allegedly held several positions in the Syrian police and state security system and was associated with the Syrian Ba’ath Party that ruled Syria. He was appointed governor of the province of Deir Ez-Zour by Assad in 2011.
“The defendant is accused of torturing prisoners in Syria almost 20 years ago, and today, we are one step closer to holding him accountable for those heinous crimes,” Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang of the HSI Los Angeles Field office said. “The United States will never be a safe haven for those who commit human rights abuses abroad.”
“The allegations in this superseding indictment reveal unconscionable crimes and a clear violation of human rights,” FBI Criminal Investigative Division Assistant Director Chad Yarbrough said. “The FBI is committed to working with our partners across the globe to uncover the truth and ensure those who engage in unlawful and inhumane criminal activity face the full consequences of their actions.”
If convicted, he faces decades in prison, including a maximum penalty of 20 years for the conspiracy to commit torture charge, a maximum penalty of 20 years for each torture charge, and a maximum penalty of 10 years for each immigration fraud charge.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigations investigated the case, with support from the HSI-led Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. The Swedish Police Authority; Royal Canadian Mounted Police – Federal Policing, Pacific Region; and authorities in Belgium were also involved in the investigation.
The announcement came shortly after the fall of the Assad regime, which was known for documented mass incarceration, torture, extra-judicial killings and other crimes.
It also comes as a record number of special interest aliens have been apprehended after illegally entering the U.S., including Syrian nationals, The Center Square has reported.
President Joe Biden recently extended executive orders declaring multiple national emergencies, citing national security threats related to Iran, ISIS, Syria, Afghanistan, among others, The Center Square reported.
