US court sentences ex-Syrian official who ran notorious ‘punishment wing’ to 60 years
Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, part of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, was in charge of Adra prison where prisoners were tortured
TL;DR
- Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, former head of Syria's Adra prison, sentenced to 60 years in US federal court.
- Al-Sheikh oversaw "Wing 13," a "punishment wing" where prisoners were interrogated and tortured.
- He was convicted of torture and lying on US immigration forms.
- Al-Sheikh moved to the US in 2020, applied for citizenship, and was arrested on immigration fraud charges.
- Victims testified to horrific torture methods, including being folded into tires and subjected to a "magic carpet" device.
- The sentence is a significant punishment for an official of the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime.
- Al-Assad and his brother Maher were sentenced to death in absentia by a Syrian court following the regime's collapse.