On July 10, 2024, federal authorities arrested Samir Ousman Alsheikh — a 73-year-old former Syrian government official — at Los Angeles International Airport.
What followed would become one of the most consequential human rights prosecutions in recent U.S. history: United States v. Alsheikh, a federal case alleging torture committed abroad, brought to a courtroom in downtown Los Angeles.
On March 16, 2026, nearly two years after his initial arrest, a Los Angeles jury found Alsheikh guilty on all counts — including conspiracy to commit torture and multiple counts of torture, along with related immigration fraud charges. The charges stemmed from Alsheikh’s role as director of Adra Prison outside Damascus from 2005 to 2008, a facility widely documented in human rights reporting as a site of serious abuses during the Assad era.
The case marked a significant moment. It demonstrated that, in certain circumstances, domestic courts can be used to pursue accountability for human rights abuses committed abroad.
For students in the Loyola Justice for Atrocities Clinic (LJAC), the trial was not just historic. It was a rare opportunity to see their clinic education unfold in real time—a profound experience that reshaped their understanding of the law’s reach and responsibility.
From Arrest to Landmark Trial
Long before Alsheikh’s trial began on March 2, 2026, LJAC students were tracking the case.
From Alsheikh’s arrest in 2024 through pretrial proceedings and into the trial courtroom, the clinic engaged with the case as part of its broader work on accountability for mass atrocities. Students analyzed filings, attended hearings, and prepared case monitoring reports in collaboration with the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre (SJAC), contributing to broader trial monitoring and public access efforts.
For some students, the experience carried an added weight: this was their first time inside an active courtroom. But by the time opening arguments began, LJAC students were not encountering the case for the first time — they were stepping into a process they had already studied closely.
Working alongside LJAC faculty, students contributed to efforts to translate complex legal arguments and courtroom procedure into accessible public information — an essential function in cases carrying both legal and global significance. As clinic student Timothy Brewster explained, “The purpose of trial monitoring is twofold. One is to have a presence in the courtroom to ensure fairness of the trial. And the other is to promote public access to the trial, and to let people know what’s going on in this case, especially those in Syria, since it’s not being televised.”
Inside the Courtroom: Observation and Public Access
At trial, witnesses described the severe mistreatment they suffered at Adra under Alsheikh, including psychological abuse, coercive practices, and repeated use of multiple torture devices designed to inflict severe pain and suffering. The proceedings highlighted the U.S. commitment under the Convention Against Torture to adjudicating criminal responsibility for acts of torture that occurred outside the country when the alleged perpetrator is found on American soil.
Throughout the trial, clinic students sat in the public gallery for the full length of the trial day, took detailed notes, and documented the trial’s progression. Trained in trial monitoring best practices ahead of the proceedings, they worked collectively to ensure that each day in court was thoroughly and consistently documented. Their role was not to advocate, but to observe — serving as a conduit to the public and helping bear witness to the crimes of which Alsheikh was accused.
After only a little over two hours of deliberation, the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on all counts.
The outcome marked the first U.S. prosecution of a former Assad regime official and underscored the powerful role domestic courts can play in addressing international crimes. National coverage, including reporting from NPR, highlighted both the rarity of the prosecution and its broader implications for global accountability efforts, with LJAC Director Rajika L. Shah featured among the legal experts discussing the case.
As Shah noted, the work reflects the important fact that, in certain circumstances, “allegations of serious international crimes can be examined through established legal process in U.S. courts.”
Learning Through Witnessing — and What Comes Next
Alsheikh is scheduled to be sentenced on September 17, 2026, marking the next phase in a landmark case that has already left a lasting imprint on students, the Syrian community, and broader conversations around accountability for perpetrators of mass atrocities and serious human rights abuses.
For LJAC students, the experience offered a form of legal education that extended well beyond the classroom. They observed firsthand how complex cases are built and argued, how evidence is presented and contested, and how courts navigate a wide range of legal questions including jurisdiction, materiality, and foreign law.
They also engaged with the human dimensions of the case — grappling with the horrifying realities underlying the legal claims, while maintaining the emotional discipline required to document proceedings accurately and responsibly.
At LMU Loyola Law School, the commitment to being an “Attorney for Others” often takes many forms. In the Loyola Justice for Atrocities Clinic, that commitment includes helping ensure that legal processes — especially those involving serious human rights allegations — remain transparent and accessible to the public.
By following the Alsheikh case from arrest to verdict, and by contributing to broader public understanding of the proceedings, LJAC students participated in a form of accountability that extended beyond the courtroom itself. Reflecting on the experience, clinic student Haley Lane observed, “Justice does actually prevail sometimes, even if it might take a while.”
The trial may have concluded, but the important issues it highlighted — about justice, jurisdiction, and the role of domestic courts in addressing international crimes — continue to resonate.
Learn more about the work of Loyola’s Justice for Atrocities Clinic