Overview
- U.S. District Judge Hernan D. Vera sentenced Samir Ousman Alsheikh to 60 years in prison on Sept. 17, 2026 for one count of conspiracy to commit torture, three counts of torture, and related immigration fraud.
- A federal jury convicted Alsheikh in March 2026 of ordering and participating in torture at Damascus Central Prison, known as Adra, during his tenure in the mid-2000s.
- Three former detainees testified at trial about specific abuse methods, including prolonged beatings while prisoners were suspended from ceiling pipes and use of a hinged wooden device that folded bodies at the waist which prosecutors said Alsheikh personally used.
- Alsheikh entered the United States in 2020, was detained at Los Angeles International Airport in July 2024 after authorities say he concealed his role in abuse, and was also found guilty of lying to immigration officials, obtaining a green card by fraud, and attempting to naturalize.
- The Justice Department called Alsheikh the highest-ranking former Assad official tried and convicted in person outside Syria and the sentence complements separate Syrian prosecutions while raising practical questions about enforcement, appeals, and how multiple courts pursue accountability.