WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The United States has filed criminal charges against two former high-ranking intelligence officials of the Syrian Government for war crimes against Americans and other civilians who were held in a military prison.
Former Syrian Air Force Intelligence officers Jamil Hassan, 72, and Abdul Salam Mahmoud, 65, were each charged in connection with a conspiracy to commit war crimes through the infliction of cruel and inhuman treatment on detainees under their control, including U.S. citizens, in detention facilities at the notorious Mezzeh Prison, near Syrian capital Damascus.
The Department of Justice said arrest warrants have been issued for the Syrian officials, who remain at large.
'The perpetrators of the Assad regime's atrocities against American citizens and other civilians during the Syrian civil war must answer for their heinous crimes,' said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. 'As alleged, these Assad regime intelligence officials whipped, kicked, electrocuted, and burned their victims; hung them by their wrists for prolonged periods of time; threatened them with rape and death; and falsely told them that their family members had been killed. The Justice Department has a long memory, and we will never stop working to find and bring to justice those who tortured Americans.'
The criminal charges were filed by United States Attorney's Office in Chicago.
The indictment alleges that, between January 2012 and July 2019, Hassan and Mahmoud conspired to identify, intimidate, threaten, punish, and kill people detained at Mezzeh Prison suspected of aiding or supporting opponents of the Assad regime, such as those who protested, provided medical aid to opponents of the regime, or publicly criticized the regime.
According to the indictment, detainees in the defendants' custody, including U.S. citizens, were mercilessly beaten, electrocuted, and had their toenails removed. Detainees were also allegedly hung from the ceiling by their wrists and were burned with acid. The defendants allegedly conspired to create an atmosphere of terror at Mezzeh, forcing detainees to listen to the screams of tortured prisoners and share cells with the dead bodies of other detainees, while guards threatened to kill and sexually assault their family members. The detainees were also allegedly deprived of adequate food, water, and medical care.
If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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