US federal jury convicts Assad-era Syrian official of torture

By Kanishka Singh and Mike Scarcella

WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) - A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted a former Syrian government official, who headed the Damascus Central Prison under the government of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, of torture, the U.S. Justice Department said on Monday.

Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 73, was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit torture and three counts of torture for his involvement in the torture of prisoners at Adra Prison as it is colloquially known, in Damascus,the Justice Department said in a statement.

Alsheikh, who headed the prison from 2005 to 2008, had pleaded not guilty, according to a court filing. His legal representatives did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The jury also convicted Alsheikh of lying to U.S. immigration authorities about his commission of these crimes, fraudulently obtaining a green card and attempting to naturalize as a U.S. citizen, the department added.

He was charged in late 2024 and prosecutors said he ordered subordinates to inflict severe physical and mental pain and suffering on political and other prisoners. He was sometimes personally involved in such incidents, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

The torture aimed to deter opposition to the Assad government, the department said.

Alsheikh, who held positions in the state security apparatus, was associated with Assad's Syrian Ba'ath Party, and was appointed governor of the province of Deir Ez-Zour by the ousted leader in 2011, prosecutors said.

Alsheikh faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the three torture counts and the count of conspiracy to commit torture, the Justice Department said.

He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each of the immigration and attempted naturalization fraud charges and will remain in U.S. custody pending his sentencing at a date to be determined by court, the department added.

Syrian rebels put an end to more than 50 years of rule by the Assad family in late 2024 following a lightning advance. A more than a decade long civil war killed hundreds of thousands, unleashed a refugee crisis and left cities bombed to rubble.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al Qaeda commander, took over after Assad's ouster and has aimed to improve ties with the West.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Mike Scarcella in Washington; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)