LOS ANGELES — A former Syrian leader reportedly residing in South Carolina has been federally indicted in Los Angeles for alleged human rights violations and torture.
The U.S. Department of Justice said 72-year-old Samir Ousman Alsheikh, currently of Lexington, was charged with three counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture. These were in addition to visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud that brought the initial indictment in August.
The Department of Justice, citing court documents, said Alsheikh was the former head of Damascus Central Prison from 2005 to 2008. Alsheikh is accused of ordering his subordinates to "inflict and was sometimes personally involved in inflicting severe physical and mental pain and suffering on political and other prisoners. Court records claimed the acts caused excruciating pain and, with one device at the prison, fractured spines.
"The victims of such violent treatment continue to suffer long after the physical acts of torture have ceased," Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri said. "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."
The Department of Justice also alleged that Alsheikh held other positions in the Syrian police and the Syrian state security apparatus, was associated with the ruling Syrian Ba'ath Party and was appointed governor of the Deir Ez-Zour by ex-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.
The superseding indictment said Alsheikh immigrated to the United States in 2020 and applied for citizenship in 2023. If indicted, he faces 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit torture, 20 years in prison for each count of torture (3) and 10 years in prison for each count of immigration fraud (2).
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the FBI are investigating the case with help from the HSI-led Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center. The DOJ's International Affairs office is also involved.
“The defendant was 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," HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang said. The United States will never be a safe haven for those who commit human rights abuses abroad.”