The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) reported on Wednesday that the former governor of Deir Ezzor province, Samir Othman Al-Sheikh, is involved in the deaths of nearly 4,000 Syrian citizens, including 93 under torture, and the disappearance of 508 others.
The report follows the announcement by US authorities on Tuesday of Al-Sheikh’s arrest at Los Angeles Airport. The rights group stated that they provided the US Department of Justice with a list of major violations and crimes committed by Al-Sheikh before he left Syria. These include murder, torture, arrest, and enforced disappearance, recorded during his tenure from April 2011 to January 2013.
The Network documented the killing of 3,933 civilians, including 312 children and 261 women, by regime forces and allied militias from the end of April 2011 until 2013. Among the victims were at least 14 medical personnel and no fewer than 13 media workers. Additionally, 93 people, including two children, died in the regime’s detention centers in Deir Ezzor province. The report also noted at least 659 cases of arrest, including 31 children and 19 women, with 47 of these detainees released while 612 remain in custody, with nothing known about the fate of 508 of them.
The Network highlighted a specific incident on August 7, 2011, when 81 civilians, including 6 children and 7 women, were killed by regime forces when they stormed the city of Deir Ezzor. Another massacre occurred on September 25, 2012, when regime forces, supported by the 105th Brigade of the Republican Guard, stormed the Al-Joura and Al-Qusour neighborhoods in the city. This attack, involving artillery shells and tanks, resulted in the deaths of 95 civilians, including 3 children and 4 women, some of whom were slaughtered with knives or shot.
According to the Network, al-Sheikh, a former senior officer with the rank of brigadier general, retired in early 2011. He held several senior positions in the Assad regime, including head of the Adra Central Prison and head of the Political Security Branch in the Rural Damascus Governorate. On July 24, 2011, he was appointed governor of Deir Ezzor, coinciding with the start of anti-regime protests in the province. He succeeded Hussein Arnous, the current prime minister of the regime’s government. Al-Sheikh remained in his position until early 2013. He was also a member of the security committee in the province, tasked with making military and security decisions.
Testimonies from survivors of detention in Deir Ezzor indicate that detainees were often gathered in the provincial building before being transferred to detention centers. The Network pointed out that during his tenure, al-Sheikh was responsible for the severe violations and abuse, as he did not work to prevent them and may have even given the orders.
The rights group emphasized that their information is based on recorded data with all details, stating: “We believe that al-Sheikh was involved in committing crimes and abuse as he was a high-ranking official in Deir Ezzor. There is certainly responsibility for the head of the regime, Bashar al-Assad, for these violations as he is the commander of the army and armed forces and has absolute authority in the regime.”
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
