FAQ

SAMIR OUSMAN ALSHEIKH, FORMER SYRIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL, TO BE SENTENCED IN THE U.S. FOR TORTURE 

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers 

Who is Samir Ousman Alsheikh and what were the charges against him? 

Samir Ousman Alsheikh is a former Syrian government official, who served as a former brigadier general under the Assad regime. He was the head of Adra prison from 2005 to about 2008 and the governor of Deir Ez-Zour from July 2011 until January 2013. Alsheikh arrived in the U.S. in March 2020, where he obtained permanent residency and applied for U.S. citizenship. He was arrested in Los Angeles in July 2024, initially on charges of immigration fraud, and has been in federal custody since that date. 

In December 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Alsheikh with three counts of torture of detainees at Adra prison and one count of conspiracy to commit torture at Adra prison. The charges stemmed from his tenure as head of Adra prison, and torture carried out in the underground area of Adra prison’s Wing 13. Alsheikh was charged under the Torture Act, which allows the U.S. to prosecute individuals within its territory for acts of torture committed outside its borders.  

Alsheikh was also prosecuted for immigration fraud for lying to U.S. officials about his participation in torture, extrajudicial killings, and political persecution while he was the head of Adra prison, as well as lying about his membership in Assad’s government and the Ba’ath Party, Assad’s political party. 

What was the verdict of the trial? 

On March 16, 2026, Alsheikh was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of conspiracy to commit torture, three counts of torture, one count of fraud in the possession and use of an immigration document, and one count of attempted naturalization fraud. 

When and where will Alsheikh’s sentencing take place?  

Alsheikh will be sentenced in Los Angeles on September 17, 2026. 

The sentencing hearing will be open to the public. The hearing can be watched remotely via zoom at this link. Information on media requests and courtroom procedures is available on the Court’s website. Please note that federal law prohibits recording or rebroadcasting these proceedings.  

Sentencing details 

What will happen at Alsheikh’s sentencing?  

A U.S. federal criminal sentencing is the court hearing where a judge determines the punishment for someone who has been convicted of a federal crime. During the sentencing proceeding, the judge reviews a detailed report prepared by a probation officer and considers arguments from both the prosecutors and defense attorneys about how the federal sentencing guidelines should apply. Victims and the defendant also have an opportunity to speak directly to the court. After weighing the severity of the offense, the defendant’s background, and personal circumstances, the judge announces the final sentence. This typically combines prison time or probation with fines, financial restitution to victims, and a period of supervised release, if appropriate. 

What role will victims play at Alsheikh’s sentencing? 

Certain pre-approved victims of Alsheikh’s crimes will be able to participate directly in the sentencing by submitting written statements, prerecorded videos, or by speaking directly at the hearing. In these statements victims can explain to the judge how Alsheikh’s crimes have affected them. The judge will consider these statements when deciding the appropriate sentence. 

What is Alsheikh’s possible sentence?  

Alsheikh could receive a maximum sentence of 100 years in prison: 20 years for each count of torture and conspiracy to commit torture and 10 years in prison for each count of immigration fraud. 

Where and when did the trial take place? 

Alsheikh’s trial took place in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in Los Angeles, where Alsheikh was initially found and arrested. The trial began on March 3, 2026 and lasted nine days. 

What happened at trial? 

Under the U.S. system of justice, Alsheikh was presumed innocent until proven guilty. A jury was therefore asked to determine his guilt or innocence. At trial, the burden was on the prosecution to prove the charges against Alsheikh “beyond a reasonable doubt.”  

The prosecution asked victims and witnesses, including CJA’s clients, to testify at the trial. Witnesses at trial testified that Alsheikh inflicted, and ordered subordinates to inflict, severe physical and mental pain and suffering on them and other prisoners. In particular, they testified that Alsheikh ordered certain prisoners to be sent to a section of the prison known as Wing 13, where they were held in tiny isolation cells and tortured. 

Victims testified at trial that they witnessed and suffered various forms of torture. For example, guards used manacles to suspend prisoners by their wrists from pipes on the ceiling and then beat them with fists or cables while suspended for extended periods of time. 

Witnesses also testified that they were placed on a torture device known as the “Magic Carpet” or “Flying Carpet,” which consisted of two large wooden panels with hinges in the middle. Guards strapped the witnesses to the device on their backs, positioning the prisoners’ waists at the hinges, and then forcing the lower panel together with the upper, folding the upper and lower halves of the prisoners’ bodies together and causing excruciating pain and serious injury. 

One victim recalled that Alsheikh himself stomped on the Magic Carpet with his foot. One victim testified that as part of his punishment for writing a letter of support to a political prisoner, he was subjected to the Magic Carpet and then forced to wear a red jumpsuit solely assigned to those designated for execution. He testified that he thought he was going to die. Witnesses also testified to being folded into car tires, restrained, and beaten by guards. 

Alsheikh presented a defense by presenting his own evidence, witnesses, and arguments.  

After hearing the evidence, the jury unanimously found Alsheikh guilty of all the charges against him. This means that for each charge, the jury found Alsheikh responsible for the acts alleged “beyond a reasonable doubt.”  

Will Alsheikh have an opportunity to appeal? 

Yes, Alsheikh has the right to appeal after he is sentenced.    

Why was Alsheikh only charged for these acts of torture and immigration fraud when he is also alleged to have committed other crimes? 

U.S. prosecutors have discretion over which cases they bring. In making these decisions, prosecutors consider many factors, including available resources and evidence. The prosecutors have not disclosed why they chose to prosecute these particular crimes, nor are they required to do so.  

Why did Alsheikh’s prosecution take place in the U.S.? 

Alsheikh entered the U.S. in March 2020 and, according to the U.S. government, has been residing in South Carolina and California since then. 

Under the Torture Act, the U.S. government has the legal authority to prosecute Alsheikh for torture outside of the U.S. because Alsheikh was present in the United States at the time of the indictment.