US grand jury charges former Syrian prison official with torture

WASHINGTON - A federal grand jury in Los Angeles charged a former Syrian government official who headed the Damascus Central Prison from 2005 to 2008 with torture, the U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday.

Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 72, headed the Adra prison, as it is colloquially known, during that period, allegedly ordering subordinates to inflict severe physical and mental pain and suffering on political and other prisoners, the department said.

He was sometimes personally involved in such incidents, the department added in its statement.

Reuters could not immediately contact Alsheikh to seek comment.

The torture aimed to deter opposition to the regime of ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the department said, adding that Alsheikh later allegedly lied about his crimes to obtain a U.S. "green card", or residence permit.

Alsheikh, who allegedly held positions in the Syrian police and the state security apparatus, was associated with the ruling Syrian Ba'ath Party, and was appointed governor of the province of Deir Ez-Zour by Assad in 2011.

A superseding indictment returned on Thursday alleged that Alsheikh immigrated to the United States in 2020 and applied for citizenship in 2023.

The indictment added three counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture to charges of visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud that figured in an initial indictment against Alsheikh in August.

In a separate U.S. indictment unsealed on Monday, two former high-ranking Syrian intelligence officials under Assad were charged with war crimes.

These included conspiracy to mete out cruel and inhuman treatment to civilian detainees, including U.S. citizens, during the Syrian civil war that began in 2011.

Syrian rebels put an end to more than 50 years of rule by the Assad family over the weekend following a lightning advance.

The 13-year civil war killed hundreds of thousands, unleashed a refugee crisis and left cities bombed to rubble, the countryside depopulated and the Syrian economy hollowed out by global sanctions.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)