A US federal court in Los Angeles has issued a 60-year prison sentence against Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, aged 74, who held the post of director of Adra Central Prison in Damascus under the rule of the Assad regime, during the period between 2005 and 2008.
Details of the report
A federal jury had convicted al-Sheikh last March of involvement in conspiracy to commit torture, alongside three separate charges relating directly to torture practices, in addition to fraud charges connected to immigration documents and an attempt to obtain US citizenship by unlawful means.
The evidence and testimony presented during the trial showed that al-Sheikh used to issue orders to torture detainees, and personally took part in some of those practices within a wing designated for punishment inside the prison, where inmates were subjected to harsh methods including beating, suspension and solitary confinement in narrow cells, alongside a torture method known as the flying carpet.
A number of surviving victims gave their statements before the court, recounting the violations they were subjected to, while officials at the US Department of Justice described the sentence as a recognition of the courage of those victims and a step towards holding accountable those involved in human rights violations in Syria, even outside US territory.
