Crime & Justice
Former Syrian prison chief sentenced to 60 years for torture
September 18, 2026 at 02:35 AM
Coverage
5 reports · 3 in Arabic, 2 in English · over 10 hours
يواليوم السابع
أمريكا تحكم بالسجن 60 عاما على مدير سجن عدرا فى سوريا بتهم تعذيب السجناء - اليوم السابع
(opens the publisher’s site)SNSky News Arabia
"البساط الطائر" يحمل مسؤولا سوريا سابقا إلى سجن أميركي
(opens the publisher’s site)
AJAl Jazeera Arabic
60 عاما في السجن.. القضاء الأمريكي يدين السوري سمير عثمان الشيخ بجرائم تعذيب وتزوير
(opens the publisher’s site)
AJAl Jazeera English
Former Assad officer sentenced to 60 years in US for torture
(opens the publisher’s site)
TGThe Guardian
US court sentences ex-Syrian official who ran notorious ‘punishment wing’ to 60 years
(opens the publisher’s site)A US federal court in Los Angeles sentenced Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, former head of Syria's Adra prison, to 60 years for torturing prisoners and lying to enter the United States.
- Judge Hernan Vera imposed the sentence after a jury convicted al-Sheikh in March 2026 of conspiracy to commit torture, three torture counts, and visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud.
- Evidence showed al-Sheikh ordered and took part in torturing prisoners, including in the underground "Wing 13" punishment wing, while running Adra prison between 2005 and 2008.
- Al-Sheikh entered the US in 2020, concealing his past to obtain a green card, before his arrest in July 2024.
- Tyson Dova, Assistant Attorney General, said al-Sheikh was the highest-ranking Assad regime official convicted in person outside Syria and that the US offers no safe haven to rights violators.
- Prosecutors had sought a minimum of 80 years, while defense lawyers asked for five years, citing the defendant's age and health.
- Victims testified to beatings and the use of a torture device that folded prisoners in half at the waist.
- Prosecutors said al-Sheikh knew his actions were wrong but believed he would never be held accountable.