They Used to Call Him the Prison Boss: A Syrian Official's Tough Day in Court

A 72-year-old Syrian man, who used to be in charge of a notorious prison, is now in big trouble. He's accused of some very serious things like torture and lying on immigration papers. His name? Samir Ousman al-Sheikh. He was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport in July when he tried to leave the US. Al-Sheikh was the boss of Adra Prison from 2005 to 2008. According to US officials, he ordered horrible things to happen to prisoners. They say he sent them to a place called the "Punishment Wing" where they were tortured in awful ways. Lawyers for al-Sheikh said these accusations are not true. They think the US is just using him for politics. This is not the first time Syrian officials have been accused of terrible things. In May, a French court even sentenced some high-ranking Syrian officials to life in prison for war crimes. Al-Sheikh's past is interesting. He started as a police officer, then moved to state security, and eventually became the prison boss. He could face up to 20 years in prison for each torture charge and up to 10 years for each immigration fraud charge if found guilty.