The family of American psychiatrist Majd kamaalmaz He has filed a civil lawsuit against the Syrian government after US officials presented him with classified information early last month, saying he believed he died in Syria’s notorious prison system.
The suit will be filed in the US District Court in Washington DC in the coming weeks. The Syrian government is accused of murder, torture, inhumane conditions and wrongful imprisonment, among other counts.
Kamalmaz, an American citizen who helped Hurricane Katrina survivors A man among refugees from war-torn Syria and Kosovo and recovering from mental trauma and PTSD was detained at a government checkpoint in Damascus in February 2017 while visiting a family member.
American psychiatrist Majd Kamalmaz is believed to have died in Syria’s notorious prison system. (Kamalmaz family)
His daughter Maryam told Fox News Digital, citing US officials, that he died within a year or two of his detention. Officials did not say how or where Dr. Kamalmaz died.
“It is very unlikely that my father died of any natural causes. He must have died of torture or he must have been murdered in some way,” he said. “There is no way he could have died of natural causes. He was healthy.”
Human Rights Watch 86 page report released In 2015 he documented the deaths of thousands of Syrians in government detention centers.
The report comes after the release of more than 28,000 photographs – taken by a Syrian military deserter codenamed “Caesar” – showing people who died in government custody. Many bore signs of torture, suffocation, starvation and blunt force trauma.
A Syrian military defector, using the pseudonym “Caesar,” wearing a hood to conceal his identity, testifies about the war in Syria during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington, DC, March 11, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
Dr. Kamalmaz’s daughter Ula told Fox News Digital that the family was not given any reason for her father’s detention as there was never any case or crime registered against him.
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He said his father may have been detained because of his American passport.
“He didn’t do anything,” she said. “He wasn’t very political, you know, he was just doing this … he was a psychiatrist working with refugees.”
“They set up a makeshift checkpoint, and it was set up to kidnap him. And maybe they thought they could make money off of him. That’s how they work in Syria. Now, unfortunately, they will take that person into custody“They won’t let him go unless the family pays a large sum of money to get him released,” Ula said. “So, it’s very corrupt.”
Majd Kamalamaz is shown with his grandchildren. (Kamalmaz family)
Austin Tice, an American freelance journalist, also went missing in syria He was detained at a checkpoint while reporting on the civil war in 2012. The Syrian government has denied detaining Tice or other Americans.
Freelance journalist Austin Tice went missing in Syria in 2012 and has not been heard from since.
The US government has set up a fund for victims of state-sponsored terrorism, which could provide compensation to the Kamalmaz family if the court rules in their favor and awards them compensation.
The United States may pay fund claims for victims of state-sponsored terrorism, $20 million limit per individual or $20 million to $35 million per family. Depending on the amount of money in the fund, the family may receive a certain percentage of the award to be paid out over several years.
Maryam said she has “begged” President Biden to call her grandmother or at least issue a statement acknowledging her father’s death.
“That’s just all. in addition to other familiesBut he really picks and chooses who he wants to care about. He really does,” she added. “And we’re not on his radar.”
According to Kamalmaz’s daughter Maryam, President Biden has not yet called Majd Kamalmaz’s family. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci/File)
“(My dad) was literally the glue that brought us all together. For him to go away like that and for him to be taken away from us in such an unjust, unfair way, I can’t just let that go.”
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Joel Rayburn, the former US special envoy for Syria, told Fox News Digital that the White House should not respond to Dr Kamalmaz’s death.
“They must not forget that the Assad regime did in fact kidnap an American citizen and possibly torture and kill him. They must be held accountable. Because if you forget that, So you wipe out the deterrent“You erode whatever deterrence there is for these regimes to do this again or for other regimes around the world who are looking at this case who say we can do this to Americans or any rogue regime can do this to Americans and get away with it,” Rayburn said. “And then your people will be less safe around the world.”
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (Reuters/File)
A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the U.S. government offers its condolences to Kamalmaz’s family and is “committed” to ensuring accountability for Dr. Kamalmaz’s death.
“Our condolences are with the family of Majd Kamalmaz at this difficult time. The United States has made extensive efforts to repatriate Majd, and we remain committed to obtaining a full accounting of his fate.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed the death of Dr. Kamalmaz Press Release TuesdayNearly a month after the family’s meeting with U.S. officials, the Syrian government said it “must answer for what happened to Majd.”
“We support Majd’s family and the families of all those missing or unjustly detained in Syria in their quest for accountability,” the statement said.
The Hostage and Wrongfully Captive Flag was flown at the State Department during a ceremony for the Kamalmaz family on Tuesday, as well as at the US Capitol and the White House. The flag is flown at government buildings in Washington DC whenever Americans held captive abroad are declared dead or safely returned home.
In Washington, US, on December 13, 2022, an official United States “hostages and wrongful detainees” flag is being proposed as part of bipartisan Democratic and Republican US congressional legislation to establish March 9 as an annual day of commemoration of Americans detained abroad. (Bring Our Families Home/Handout via Reuters)
Last year, Biden signed legislation establishing an annual National Hostage and Wrongfully Imprisoned Persons Day, and an official Hostage and Wrongfully Imprisoned Persons flag.
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The White House referred Fox News Digital to the National Security Council and the State Department for comment.
