Two former senior Syrian military leaders who were instrumental in the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad have been charged with war crimes in the United States and are said to have tortured American citizens.
The charges against former Syrian air force intelligence officers Jamil Hassan, 72, and Abdul Salam Mahmoud, 65, were related to what the prosecution claimed was “a conspiracy to commit war crimes through the infliction of cruel and inhuman treatment on detainees under their control, including U.S. citizens.”
They are accused of “cruel and unusual treatment” of civilian inmates at Mezzeh Military Airport, which is close to Damascus, in the Justice Department’s indictment.
Following the toppling of Assad, Syrians have been searching jails for loved ones, and thousands of inmates have been released from institutions known for torturing inmates.
On suspicion of conspiring to commit the war crime of cruel and inhuman treatment, a warrant has been issued for the arrest of the two former intelligence operatives. They might spend the rest of their lives behind bars if convicted.
Prosecutors stated that they are still “at large” but did not say if authorities are aware of their location.
After the opposition forces’ success in Damascus and Assad’s overthrow on Sunday, the grand jury indictment was filed in the U.S. District Court in Chicago in November but wasn’t unsealed until Tuesday.
After Germany in 2018, the United States is the most recent nation to issue warrants against Mahmoud and Hassan. Since 2012, the United States has imposed sanctions on Hassan and other members of Assad’s inner circle.
Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement saying, “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.”
The indictment details the torture that it claims was carried out under Hassan and Mahmoud’s supervision. Both Syrians “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,” Garland stated.
Christopher Wray, the director of the FBI, stated, “Hassan and Mahmoud allegedly oversaw the systematic use of torture and cruelty on perceived enemies of the Syrian regime, including American citizens.”
According to the indictment, Hassan controlled a network of prisons, notably the Mezzeh Prison in Damascus, where suspected regime opponents were detained and subjected to torture while serving as the director of Syrian air force intelligence. It states that Mahmoud oversaw operations at Mezzeh as a brigadier general.
The two are explicitly charged with violating human rights between 2012 and 2019, which includes killing and torturing individuals who are thought to have assisted or supported anti-Assad organizations throughout Syria’s protracted and brutal civil conflict.
“Defendants brutally beat, electrocuted, and removed the toenails of detainees in their custody, including U.S. citizens. According to the accusation, detainees were also allegedly burnt with acid and hung by their wrists from the ceiling.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!