A federal court in Los Angeles has sentenced 74-year-old Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, the former head of Syria’s Adra Prison, to 60 years in prison. Judge Hernán Vera handed down the sentence on Thursday. Al-Sheikh, one of the symbols of the ousted Assad regime, was found guilty by a jury in March 2026 on several counts.
The jury found al-Sheikh guilty of conspiracy to commit torture, three counts of torture, visa fraud, and attempted naturalization fraud, the U.S. Department of Justice said. According to investigators, while running Adra Prison—also known as Damascus Central Prison—from 2005 to 2008, he ordered prisoners to be tortured and personally took part in the abuse in order to suppress political opposition. In 2020, he deceived U.S. immigration authorities by concealing his past in order to gain entry to the country.
Prosecutors said al-Sheikh ordered subordinates to inflict physical and psychological pain on prisoners and sometimes personally participated in the abuse. Three victims testified in court: they had been tortured and had seen and heard others being tortured. Prisoners were strapped to a device known as the “flying carpet,” which forcefully folded the body in half at the waist; suspended from the ceiling in chains for hours or days; brutally tied inside automobile tires; and held in cramped, infested, damp and cold cells teeming with insects. Evidence also showed that al-Sheikh sent two prisoners who refused to torture political detainees, along with another whose letter of support was intercepted by guards, to the prison’s underground “Wing 13,” where they were held in tiny cells and tortured.
A separate group of charges concerned al-Sheikh’s lies to U.S. immigration authorities: he falsified information about his past while seeking a green card and citizenship. Those deceptions formed the basis for the visa-fraud and attempted-naturalization-fraud charges. U.S. Assistant Attorney General Taissén Dova called al-Sheikh the highest-ranking former Assad regime official to be personally tried and convicted outside Syria, and warned human rights violators that they would find no safe haven in the United States. Bill Essayli, the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, added that people who commit such brutality should never find refuge in America.
Al-Sheikh entered the United States in 2020 and had been in custody since his arrest in July 2024. The sentence was handed down after a jury found him guilty in March 2026. The case is a rare example of a senior member of Syria’s prison system being prosecuted outside Syria and sends a signal that, even years later, those responsible for mass torture may still be brought to justice.
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What is “Wing 13” at Adra Prison, and why is it considered one of the most terrifying places in Syria’s prison system? — “Wing 13” is a special section of Adra Prison, located northeast of Damascus. It was operated by Syrian military intelligence and used to hold political prisoners, activists and opposition members. It is considered one of the most terrifying places because torture was systematically used there, including the “flying carpet,” beatings, electric shocks, rape and mass executions. Many prisoners died from torture, hunger and unsanitary conditions. “Wing 13” became a symbol of the Assad regime’s repressive apparatus.
Why is the torture method called the “flying carpet,” and how widely was it used in Syrian prisons? — The “flying carpet” is a method of torture in which a prisoner is strapped to a flat surface, such as a board or sheet of metal, or suspended, and then beaten—often on the back and feet—or subjected to electric shocks. The name refers to the body’s position, as if it were “floating” or suspended. The method was widely used in Syrian prisons, particularly in Adra, Sednaya and Mezzeh, to obtain confessions and punish prisoners. It caused fractures, spinal injuries and death, and has been documented by human rights organizations.
What position did Samir Ousman al-Sheikh hold in Syria’s prison hierarchy, and why is his conviction in the United States considered an important precedent for prosecuting Assad regime officials? — Samir Ousman al-Sheikh was a former brigadier general in Syrian military intelligence and head of Adra Prison from 2005 to 2008. He held a senior position in the prison hierarchy and controlled torture and detention conditions. His conviction in the United States in 2024 for torture and conspiracy is considered an important precedent because it was the first time a Syrian regime official was convicted under the U.S. Torture Statute (18 U.S.C. § 2340A), which allows prosecution for torture committed outside the United States. It signals an end to impunity and lays the groundwork for holding other Assad regime officials accountable.
Full version: U.S. court sentences Syrian Samir Ousman al-Sheikh to 60 years in prison