Los Angeles— The former head of a notorious Syrian jail was charged Thursday in the United States with torturing opponents of Bashar al-Assad’s now-defunct administration, the Justice Department announced. Samir Ousman Alsheikh, 72, who has been in the United States since 2020, allegedly ran Damascus Central Prison, also known as Adra Prison, from around 2005 to 2008, where captives were exposed to severe mistreatment in the “Punishment Wing.” The allegations come only days after Assad fled the nation as his administration disintegrated, and as millions of Syrians confront decades of brutality. According to US authorities, Alsheikh himself inflicted significant physical and mental pain on captives while also directing his staff to do the same.

“We’re one step closer to holding him accountable for these horrible murders. “The United States will never be a safe haven for those who violate human rights abroad,” said Eddy Wang, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations’ Los Angeles field office. Alsheikh is facing three counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture. He was arrested in July at the Los Angeles International Airport on separate immigration fraud accusations. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for each torture accusation. According to the Justice Department, Alsheikh held various roles in the Syrian police and state security apparatus. He was also affiliated with the Syrian Ba’ath Party, which ruled the country.

He was also affiliated with the Syrian Ba’ath Party, which dominated the country, and was appointed governor of Deir Ez-Zour by Assad in 2011. He relocated to the United States in 2020 and applied for citizenship in 2023. Syria’s simmering civil war erupted late last month with a rapid onslaught led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organization and its supporters. After passing through many key cities, the rebels rapidly overtook Damascus, forcing Assad to escape to Russia and bringing an abrupt end to his clan’s five decades of harsh reign. Syrians have flocked to jails in search of missing loved ones. Tens of thousands of individuals died as a result of torture or the conditions that of their detention in prisons under Assad’s rule since the civil war erupted in 2011, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.