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WASHINGTON: A former Syrian government official who headed the Damascus Central Prison under ousted President Bashar al-Assad and was convicted of torture by a US federal jury has been sentenced to 60 years in prison by a US judge, federal prosecutors said.<\/p>\n
Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 74, was charged in 2024 and convicted in March this year on three counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture for his involvement in the abuse of prisoners at Adra Prison in Damascus.<\/p>\n
Alsheikh was also convicted of lying to US immigration authorities about his commission \u200cof the crimes, \u200cfraudulently obtaining a green card and attempting to \u200cnaturalize as a US citizen, the US Department of Justice said.<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s sentence was handed down by US District Judge Hernan Vera in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors said Alsheikh ordered subordinates to inflict physical and mental pain on prisoners to deter opposition to Assad\u2019s government and was sometimes personally involved in such incidents.<\/p>\n
The US Justice Department said Alsheikh, who held positions in the state security apparatus, was the highest-ranking former member of Assad\u2019s government to be tried and \u200cconvicted in person outside Syria so far.<\/p>\n
Alsheikh\u2019s \u200clegal team had asked for a five-year sentence. In March, they said they were \u201cdisappointed\u201d \u200cby his conviction. Alsheikh, who headed Adra Prison from 2005 to \u200c2008, had previously pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\n
Khaled Abdul Malek, a witness in the case who was detained and tortured at Adra prison, said in a written statement shared with reporters that the sentencing showed that \u201ceven when justice is delayed, it will \u200calways come\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis trial is not the end, but the first step on the road toward accountability and justice for everyone whose hands have been stained with the blood of innocent people,\u201d he said. Syrian rebels put an end to more than 50 years of rule by the Assad family in late 2024 following a lightning advance. Hundreds of thousands died in a civil war that lasted more than a decade, unleashed a global refugee crisis and left cities across the country in ruins.<\/p>\n
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander, took over after Assad\u2019s ouster and has worked to improve ties with the West.<\/p>\n
Last month, a Syrian court sentenced Assad, who resides in Russia, in absentia to death after convicting him of crimes including killings, torture, and arbitrary arrest during the country\u2019s war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n