Sweden court acquits former Syrian general of alleged war crimes
Al JazeeraJun 27
Syrian Official Accused of Overseeing Torture, Killing Arrested in US
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The Facts
US authorities arrested Samir Ousman al-Sheikh, a former Syrian official, in Los Angeles on Tuesday regarding allegations that he oversaw the torture and killing of political dissidents at the country's Adra prison just outside Damascus.
Al-Sheikh was reportedly in charge of the prison from 2005 to 2008. Human rights groups and the UN have accused the Syrian government of abuses in its detention facilities, including widespread torture and arbitrary detention of thousands of people.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The arrest of Al-Sheikh is a significant victory for the Syrian people, who have suffered ruthless abuse at the hands of the Assad regime. In addition to the crimes he committed at Adra prison, al-Sheikh also participated in the regime's crackdown on peaceful demonstrators, including the torture and murder of hundreds of thousands of Syrians.
Establishment-critical narrative
This arrest is nothing more than hypocritical moral posturing as the US prosecutes its adversaries while simultaneously turning a blind eye to not only the crimes committed by its allies — such as Israel's and Saudi Arabia's — but also its own: From the atrocities at Abu-Ghraib prison to those committed at Guantanamo Bay, the US is no stranger to the use of torture. But in Washington's eyes, torture only constitutes torture when it's committed by its enemies.
