A former officer who commanded one of the most famous prisons of Syria was accused in the United States of torture dissidents of the deposed government Bashar Al AssadThe Department of Justice reported this Thursday.
Samir Ousman Alsheikh72 years old and who emigrated to the United States in 2020, was in charge of the Damascus Central Prisonknown as Adrabetween 2005 and 2008 according to court documents.
“Samir Alsheikh is accused of torturing political dissidents and other prisoners to deter opposition to the regime of then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.“Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice, stated in a statement.
“The victims of this violent treatment continue to suffer greatly even after the physical acts of torture have ceased,” he added.
“The Department of Justice (…) will not allow (those responsible) to hide in the United States through lies and concealments”.
Syria It was ruled by the Al Assad family with an iron fist for more than half a century, imprisoning and silencing dissidents.
President Bashar Al Assad was deposed on December 8 by a coalition of rebel movements after a war of more than a decade that left more than half a million dead and six million displaced.
After the fall of the government, hundreds of people went to seek news of their families and loved ones at the doors of the feared government prisons, including the Adra prison.
In front of this enclosure, “Alsheikh allegedly ordered his subordinates to inflict, and at times personally participated in, severe physical and mental pain and suffering on political and other prisoners.””said the Department of Justice.
Alsheikh allegedly ordered prisoners to be placed in a “punishment wing”, where they were beaten while suspended from the ceiling with their arms outstretched.
The detainees “were also subjected to a device known as ‘Flying Carpet‘, which folded their bodies in half (…) causing them unbearable pain and sometimes causing fractures in the spine.
“The accusations of serious human rights violations contained in this complementary process are chilling“said Martin Estrada, attorney general of the United States.
Alsheikh was detained for immigration crimes in the Los Angeles airport in July when he was about to board an international flight.
He faces a charge of conspiracy to torture and three counts of torture. If found guilty he could be sentenced to 20 years in prison for each of these.
Additionally, he is accused of committing immigration fraudwhich could add another decade in prison.
The accused held several positions in the police Syria and in the state security apparatus.
He arrived in the United States in 2020 and three years later applied for American citizenship.
Since 2011, tens of thousands of people have died in Syrian prisons, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated in 2022.
(AFP)
