A federal grand jury in Los Angeles this week indicted a former Syrian military officer on multiple counts of torture he allegedly committed while running a prison he ran for years.
Samir Osman al-Sheikh, the former warden of Damascus Central Prison, was personally involved in the torture of political dissidents to stem opposition to the regime of then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to the Justice Ministry.
Authorities first arrested Sheikh, 72, at Los Angeles International Airport on July 10, and he was charged with immigration fraud the following month. This week’s indictment adds three counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture.
Prosecutors said Sheikh personally committed some of the violence, which allegedly included beating prisoners and placing them on a wooden device called a “flying carpet” that forcibly folded the prisoners in half, killing one victim The patient suffered a spinal fracture.
A cell inside the notorious military detention center “215” in Damascus.
(Ayman Organa/The Times)
“The allegations of serious human rights violations contained in this superseding indictment are chilling,” the U.S. attorney said. Martin Estrada of the Central District of California said in a statement. “Our country will not serve as a safe haven for those accused of committing atrocities abroad.”
Nina Marino, a lawyer representing Sheikh, said her client “vehemently denies these politically motivated and false accusations.”
“In making these false accusations, the Department of Justice chose to allocate valuable government resources to prosecuting foreigner For suspected crimes that occurred in a certain place foreign “Targeting non-U.S. citizens diverts resources that could be used to protect U.S. citizens from crimes committed in the United States,” Marino wrote in a statement.
She added that they “intend to vigorously defend against these false accusations and defend our clients.”
In August, Sheikh pleaded not guilty to charges of visa fraud and attempted citizenship fraud. He will be arraigned on a superseding indictment in the coming days and weeks, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles
According to the latest indictment, Sheikh oversaw the Damascus prison, known as Adra Prison, from 2005 to 2008. Prisoner’s room.
The indictment details the torture of several inmates, including one known by the initials KAM, whose body was allegedly twisted on a “flying carpet” device by Sheikh, prison officials and guards.
KAM was also allegedly beaten, hung from the ceiling in a crucifixion-like position for several hours and trampled on, according to the indictment.
According to the Ministry of Justice, Sheikh allegedly held various positions in the Syrian police and Syria’s national security apparatus, had ties to the Syrian Ba’ath Party, which rules Syria, and was appointed governor of Deir ez-Zor province by then-Syrians. In 2011, President Assad.
The Justice Department said Sheikh concealed his prison employment when he applied for citizenship. He allegedly made similar false statements when applying for a visa to enter the United States
If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison on the torture charge and up to 10 years in prison on the immigration fraud charge.
Rebel militants recently seized control of Syria and Assad has reportedly fled to Russia. Opposition groups seized prisons and released long-detained political prisoners as they advanced toward Damascus. Assad’s fall ends a 50-year dynasty started by his late father, Hafez, who was notorious for brutalizing his opponents.
Times reporter Nabih Bulos contributed reporting.
