A federal grand jury in Los Angeles this week indicted a former Syrian military officer on several counts of torture allegedly committed at a prison he oversaw for years.
Samir Ousman Sheikh, former director of Damascus Central Prison, was personally involved in the torture of political dissidents to deter opposition to the regime of then-Syrian President Bashar Assad, according to the Justice Department.
Authorities first arrested Sheikh, 72, on July 10 at Los Angeles International Airport and the following month he was charged with immigration fraud. This week's indictment adds three counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture.
Prosecutors say Sheikh personally carried out some of the violence, which allegedly involved beatings and subjecting prisoners to a wooden device known as a “flying carpet,” which forcibly folded them in half and caused one victim to suffer. a spinal fracture.
A cell inside the famous “215” military detention center in Damascus.
(Ayman Oghanna/for The Times)
“The allegations contained in this superseding indictment of serious human rights abuses are chilling,” the federal prosecutor said. Martín Estrada for the Central District of California said in a statement. “Our country will not be a safe harbor for those accused of committing atrocities abroad.”
Nina Marino, a lawyer representing Sheikh, said her client “vehemently denies these false and politically motivated allegations.”
“By filing these false charges, this Department of Justice has chosen to allocate valuable government resources to the prosecution of a foreign citizen for alleged crimes that occurred in a foreign country against non-U.S. citizens and, in doing so, diverts those same resources that could be used to protect U.S. citizens from criminal conduct occurring in the United States,” Marino wrote in a statement.
He added that “they intend to vigorously defend themselves against these false charges and achieve full vindication for our client.”
In August, Sheikh pleaded not guilty to charges of visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud. He will be arraigned on the superseding indictment in the coming days or weeks, according to the U.S. Attorney's office in Los Angeles.
According to the most recent indictment, Sheikh supervised the Damascus prison, known as Adra, between 2005 and 2008. The prison contained a “punishment wing,” which included an underground section that housed small isolation cells and a room in which Prisoners were interrogated and tortured.
The indictment detailed the torture of several prisoners, including one identified with the initials KAM, whose body the sheikh, officials and prison guards allegedly contorted with the “flying carpet” device.
KAM was also allegedly beaten while suspended from the ceiling for hours at a time in a crucifixion-like position and trampled, according to the indictment.
According to the Department of Justice, Sheikh allegedly held various positions in the Syrian police and the Syrian state security apparatus, was associated with the Syrian Baath Party that ruled Syria, and was appointed governor of Deir Ez-Zour province by the then Syrian President Assad in 2011. He reportedly emigrated to the United States in 2020 and applied for US citizenship in 2023.
The Justice Department says Sheikh concealed his prison employment when he applied for citizenship. He also allegedly made false statements when applying for a visa to enter the United States.
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison on torture charges and up to 10 years on immigration fraud charges.
Rebel fighters recently took control of Syria and Assad reportedly fled to Russia. During their advance on Damascus, opposition groups seized several prisons and released long-held political detainees. Assad's fall ends a 50-year dynasty started by his late father, Hafez, famous for his brutal treatment of adversaries.
Times correspondent Nabih Bulos contributed reporting.
