U.S. Indicts Two Former Syrian Officials for War Crimes

The charges mark the first U.S. criminal prosecution of high-ranking Syrian officers for torture and abuse during Syria's 13-year civil war.

Jamil Hassan and Abdul Salam Mahmoud, former Syrian Air Force Intelligence officers, are accused of overseeing the torture of detainees, including U.S. citizens, at Mezzeh Military Airport in Damascus between 2012 and 2019.
The indictment details severe abuses such as electrocution, acid burns, beatings, and psychological torture, including threats against detainees' families.
The charges were unsealed following the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, with opposition forces freeing thousands of prisoners from regime-controlled facilities.
The U.S. Department of Justice collaborated with rights groups to gather witness testimonies, including accounts of the torture and execution of Syrian-American aid worker Layla Shweikani in 2016.
The whereabouts of Hassan and Mahmoud remain unknown, and U.S. officials have issued arrest warrants as part of broader efforts to hold Assad regime figures accountable for war crimes.