Former Syrian official faces U.S. sentencing for torture
Samir Ousman Alsheikh, a former Syrian military official, is scheduled for sentencing Thursday in Los Angeles after a jury in March convicted him of one count of conspiracy to commit torture and three counts of torture for his command of Adra Prison from roughly 2005 to 2008. Prosecutors say he sent prisoners to isolation cells and ordered or participated in beatings, including suspension from pipes and use of a folding device, and asked for a minimum 80-year sentence. Defense lawyers seek five years, citing his age and medical conditions and offering deportation; he was also convicted of immigration fraud.
A convicted Syrian official faces decades in U.S. prison.
Context
A jury convicted Alsheikh in March for torture and immigration crimes. He was detained at LAX in July 2024 after arriving in the United States. A judge will now decide his sentence and potential deportation to Syria.
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