The US charged two high-ranking officials from the regime of former Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad with war crimes for allegedly torturing prisoners, including American citizens.
The indictment, filed in the northern district of Illinois, named the officials as former Syrian Air Force intelligence officers Jamil Hassan, 72, and Abdul Salam Mahmoud, 65. The two are accused of overseeing war crimes and human rights abuses at the Mezzeh Military Airport in the Damascus area and at other detention facilities between 2012 and 2019.
The inditcment states that they "whipped, kicked, electrocuted and burned their victims." They are also accused of removing the toenails of their victims and using acid on prisoners, as well as other forms of torture.
The defendants are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit the war crime of cruel and inhuman treatment. If convicted, the defendants each face a maximum sentence of life in prison.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement, “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."
“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," Garland added.
“The Assad regime may have fallen, but our commitment to accountability continues unabated,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “For the second time in a year, the Department of Justice has brought charges against those who committed war crimes against U.S. citizens, deploying a previously unused federal law to hold accountable individuals who engaged in cruel and inhuman atrocities during armed conflict.”
“Hassan and Mahmoud allegedly oversaw the systematic use of cruel and inhumane treatment on perceived enemies of the Syrian regime, including American citizens,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI is fully committed to working with our law enforcement partners around the world to ensure these alleged war criminals are held accountable for their actions and justice is brought to the victims of these atrocities.”
“The defendants are alleged to have committed atrocities against political dissidents, including U.S. citizens, opposing a brutal and now-deposed dictatorial regime,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “War crimes such as the torture described in this indictment strike at the basic human rights that we all share. This historic indictment — the second brought under the U.S. War Crimes statute — demonstrates the Justice Department’s commitment to pursue accountability for those who commit war crimes and other atrocities wherever they may occur.”
“The serious human rights abuses set forth in this indictment must not go unpunished,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois. “The United States Attorney’s Office in Chicago remains steadfastly committed to bringing justice to the victims of these heinous crimes, no matter where the perpetrators are or how long it takes.”
“Human rights abuses are among the most egregious crimes that the FBI investigates, and this historic indictment memorializes our commitment to accountability and justice,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas S. DePodesta of the FBI Chicago Field Office. “This multi-year investigation is the culmination of the tireless work by FBI personnel, both in the United States and overseas, and the courage of countless victims and witnesses affected by the Assad Regime in Syria,” Pasqual said.
The indictment was filed after the Assad regime fell when rebel forces captured Damascus on Saturday night. Assad himself fled to Russia.