US judge sentences former Syrian prison chief Samir Ousman Alsheikh for torture

On Thursday, a federal judge in Los Angeles was set to sentence Samir Ousman Alsheikh, a former Syrian military official, for his role in torturing prisoners at Adra Prison in Syria from 2005 to 2008. A jury found him guilty in March of conspiracy to commit torture and three counts of torture. Prosecutors requested a minimum of 80 years, while his attorneys argued for five years, citing his age and health. Alsheikh, who entered the U.S. in 2020, was also convicted of lying to immigration authorities and fraudulently obtaining a green card.