Senior Regime figure arrested by US authorities

Samir Ousman al-Sheihk ran the notorious Adra prison (2005-2008) before Assad appointed him Governor of Deir ez-Zor and Head of its Security Committee (2011). US authorities arrested him in mid-July for attempted naturalization fraud, where he is understood to have falsely described if he had persecuted or killed anyone for their political beliefs. He was arrested in Los Angeles before fleeing the country with a one-way ticket. CIJA has assisted US investigations into Samir Ousman al-Sheikh since 2021, providing analysis, regime documents and witness interviews on his roles as Head of Adra Prison, Governor of Deir ez-Zor and Head of the Deir ez-Zor Security Committee. Al Adra remains a notorious prison, where many hundreds of Syrians were imprisoned and subjected to torture, sexual violence or death during his time as its Head. As Governor of Deir ez-Zor and head of its Security Committee, al-Sheikh would have been responsible for coordinating the ever-more brutal responses of the four security agencies to the growing numbers of protests.