US court sentences former Deir Ezzor governor to 60 years in prison

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A US court has sentenced Samir Othman al-Sheikh, the former governor of Deir Ezzor and former director of Adra prison in Syria, to 60 years in prison after convicting him of torturing prisoners, as well as fraud cases against US immigration authorities.

The US Department of Justice said that the evidence presented before the court proved that Al Sheikh ordered and participated in torture during his tenure as director of Adra Prison between 2005 and 2008.

According to the ministry, Al Sheikh concealed information related to his past when he entered the United States in 2020, and also provided false information in the procedures for obtaining permanent residency, and later in the application for American citizenship.

A US jury convicted him in March 2026 of conspiracy to commit torture, three separate counts of torture, visa fraud and attempted citizenship fraud.

Before leaving Syria, Al Sheikh held several security and administrative positions, including the position of Governor of Deir Ezzor, where his name was associated with coordination with the Republican Guard and the military operations that took place in the city of Deir Ezzor, which included bloody events, including a massacre in the Al-Joura and Al-Qusour neighborhoods, in which more than 400 civilians were killed.