US court sentences former Syrian prison chief to 60 years for torture and fraud

A US federal court has sentenced Samir Othman al-Sheikh, the former director of Adra Prison in Syria, to 60 years in prison for torturing detainees in Syria and committing immigration fraud.

A jury convicted al-Sheikh on three main charges. The first involved systematic torture of detainees, the second involved conspiracy to carry out acts of torture, while the third was related to fraud in immigration documents, attempting to obtain US citizenship through illegal means and concealing his criminal past from US authorities.

Prosecutors at a Los Angeles court had asked for a prison sentence of at least 80 years. The ruling sends a clear legal and moral message that perpetrators of crimes against humanity will find no safe haven and that justice can pursue them even if they change their “skin” or flee to other countries.

Al-Sheikh was responsible for Adra Prison for a period of roughly between 2005 and 2008. A jury convicted him last March of conspiracy to commit torture and three separate counts of torture.

The convicted man arrived in the United States in 2020 and applied for US citizenship. According to prosecutors, he concealed from US immigration authorities his role in torture operations that took place in Syria.

Al-Sheikh was arrested by federal authorities in July 2024 at Los Angeles International Airport. He was also convicted last March on additional charges, including lying to US immigration authorities, illegally obtaining a residence permit and attempting to obtain US citizenship.

Human rights organisations and UN officials have previously reported widespread abuses in Syrian detention centres during Bashar al-Assad’s rule, including torture and arbitrary detention.