The U.S. State Department has recently imposed sanctions on Brigadier General Abdulsalam Fajr Mahmoud, a prominent Syrian Air Force official, as well as on his wife, Suheir Nader al-Jundi, and their four adult children. These sanctions respond to Mahmoud’s documented involvement in severe human rights violations, encompassing torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. As head of the Investigation Branch at Syria’s Air Force Intelligence Directorate, Mahmoud has been implicated in systemic abuses, gaining a notorious reputation for his role in the torture and extrajudicial killings within Syria’s detention centers.
Background and Career in Syrian Air Force Intelligence
Brigadier General Abdulsalam Fajr Mahmoud, born in 1959 in Foua, Idlib, has become a notorious figure associated with some of the Syrian conflict’s worst atrocities. Rising through the ranks of Syria’s Air Force Intelligence, Mahmoud initially served under Major General Mohammed al-Khouli, a former director of the Air Force Intelligence Department. By 2010, Mahmoud held a prominent role as the head of the Air Force Intelligence Branch in the southern region and later earned a master’s degree from a Lebanese university. Following this, he was promoted to Brigadier General and appointed head of the Investigation Branch at Mezzeh Military Airport—a facility infamous for its brutal interrogation practices.
When Syria’s peaceful protests erupted in March 2011, Mahmoud’s role took a darker turn. He and his deputy, Brigadier General Nazih Melhem, assumed responsibility for interrogating detainees, quickly establishing a reputation for severe abuses against prisoners from all regions of Syria. Mahmoud’s command oversaw a team of officers—including Brigadier General Salem Daghestani, Major Suhail al-Zamam, Major Tariq Suleiman, and Captain Bassem Mohammed—forming one of the most feared interrogation teams in the country.
Documented Human Rights Violations and Torture Practices
Mahmoud’s name is prominently mentioned in multiple reports by international human rights organizations, painting a chilling portrait of his role in systemic abuse. The 2011 Human Rights Watch report “By Any Means Necessary” describes brutal torture methods deployed under Mahmoud’s leadership at Mezzeh’s Interrogation Branch, where detainees were subjected to electric shocks, prolonged beatings, and suspension from ceilings. Testimonies from former detainees describe conditions in which minors such as Hamza al-Khatib and Thamer al-Shari were tortured to death.
Further corroboration of Mahmoud’s crimes appears in the infamous “Caesar” files—photographs from a defector documenting the deaths of thousands of detainees, who were found starved, mutilated, and bearing the signs of systematic torture. Amnesty International’s report “It Shatters Your Humanity” further details abuse practices under Mahmoud’s oversight, including forced confessions through family threats, sexual violence, forced sodomy, and psychological trauma inflicted on detainees. Witnesses recount prisoners packed into tiny, unsanitary cells, deprived of food, water, and sleep, and subjected to relentless mental and physical torment.
International Sanctions and Calls for Justice
The international response to Mahmoud’s actions has been robust. He has been subject to European Union and British sanctions since 2011, with France issuing an arrest warrant against him in 2018, targeting him and other high-ranking Syrian officials for crimes against humanity. In 2024, the U.S. State Department expanded these sanctions to include Mahmoud’s wife, Suheir Nader al-Jundi, and their four adult children. The U.S. action, aimed at Mahmoud’s documented involvement in severe human rights abuses, was accompanied by a statement of support for legal efforts by Canada and the Netherlands at the International Court of Justice to prosecute Assad regime officials.
Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and numerous Syrian advocacy groups, continue to advocate for Mahmoud’s prosecution as part of broader accountability efforts. His case stands as a symbol of the Assad regime’s systematic brutality, reinforcing the urgent need for international judicial recourse to address the grievous injustices inflicted on detainees within Syria’s intelligence network.
