Family of American Doctor Who Died in Syria Sues Bashar al-Assad's Government

The family of an American doctor named Majd Kamelmaz, who died while in detention in Syria, filed a lawsuit against the Syrian government in a U.S. court on Monday. The family members accused Bashar al-Assad's government of wrongful actions leading to Kamelmaz's death and also charged Damascus with his wrongful imprisonment. Majd Kamelmaz, a Syrian-American psychotherapist, was abducted while treating war-displaced refugees in Syria. U.S. officials stated he was last seen in 2017 at a checkpoint controlled by forces loyal to Bashar al-Assad, the head of the Syrian government. Kamelmaz's family received official confirmation from the U.S. government in May that he was deceased. The lawsuit, filed in Washington, seeks damages for wrongful death, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and false imprisonment. According to the 19-page court complaint, the plaintiffs are also seeking punitive damages, bringing their total claims to at least $70 million. Maryam Kamelmaz, Majd's daughter and one of the plaintiffs, hopes this legal action will raise awareness about other cases similar to her father's. In an interview with Voice of America, she stated, 'Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have experienced this problem. I just hope this raises awareness about those who are killed by the Syrian government. These innocent people are never tried. They are tortured and killed for no reason.' According to a United Nations report, since the onset of the Syrian conflict in 2011, over 350,000 civilians have been killed, and more than 13.5 million people have been displaced both inside and outside the country. The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria reported in early July that since 2011, 155,000 Syrian citizens have been detained or forcibly disappeared. Human rights groups hold the Assad regime responsible for most of these cases.