A U.S. federal court has sentenced former Syrian Brig. Gen. Samir Ousman al-Sheikh to 60 years in prison after he was convicted of ordering and participating in the torture of prisoners at Adra Central Prison and later committing immigration fraud, the U.S. Justice Department said Thursday.

Al-Sheikh, who headed Adra Prison, also known as Damascus Central Prison, from about 2005 to 2008, was convicted earlier this year of conspiracy to commit torture, three counts of torture, visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud.

A federal jury returned the guilty verdicts in March following a trial in which former prisoners testified about torture and other abuses they said they experienced or witnessed at the prison.

According to the Justice Department, al-Sheikh ordered and participated in the torture of prisoners, including political detainees, while serving as prison director under the former Syrian government.

Three victims testified during the trial, describing severe physical abuse and harsh detention conditions at Adra Prison.

Prosecutors said prisoners were subjected to a range of torture methods, including being strapped to a device known as the “Flying Carpet,” which forcibly folded the body at the waist.

Other detainees were allegedly suspended from ceilings by their handcuffed arms for prolonged periods, beaten while restrained inside tires and held in small, cold and damp cells infested with insects and other pests.

According to evidence presented in court, two prisoners were punished after refusing orders to harm political detainees. Another was allegedly punished after guards intercepted a message of support he had sent to a political prisoner.

The prisoners were subsequently transferred to an underground section of Adra Prison known as “Wing 13,” where prosecutors said they were held in small cells and tortured.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division described al-Sheikh as the highest-ranking former official of the former Syrian government to have been personally prosecuted and convicted outside Syria.

Duva said the case demonstrated that individuals accused of serious human rights violations could face prosecution even after entering the United States.

U.S. officials credited the victims who came forward, American investigators and prosecutors, as well as international partners, including Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office, for helping build the case.

Bill Essayli, first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, said individuals responsible for alleged abuses should not be able to use the United States as a refuge from accountability.

Al-Sheikh has been in U.S. custody since his arrest in July 2024.

In addition to the torture convictions, al-Sheikh was convicted of visa fraud and attempted naturalization fraud.

The Justice Department said he entered the United States in 2020 after obtaining a visa and subsequently provided false information to U.S. immigration authorities in applications for permanent residency and U.S. citizenship.

U.S. investigators said his alleged concealment of his background allowed him to remain in the country until authorities arrested him in 2024.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and the Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center, with assistance from international law-enforcement partners.

FBI officials said the agency would continue pursuing individuals suspected of serious human rights violations who attempt to evade accountability by relocating to the United States.

The case is part of a broader series of legal proceedings in several countries involving former Syrian government officials accused of abuses during the Syrian conflict.

In Britain, proceedings began in March at Westminster Magistrates’ Court against Salem al-Salem, a former Air Force Intelligence officer, over allegations including murder, torture and crimes against humanity.

Austrian prosecutors charged former Syrian intelligence officials Khaled al-Halabi and Musab Abu Rukba in November with serious crimes and systematic abuses allegedly committed against detained civilians during the conflict, including allegations of torture and sexual assault.

In France, a court in May 2024 tried three senior former Syrian officials in absentia on charges including complicity in crimes against humanity and war crimes.

The U.S. Justice Department said it is continuing to seek information about former human rights violators residing in the United States as authorities pursue cases involving alleged abuses committed during the Syrian conflict. (ILKHA)