British Doctor 'Unlawfully Killed' In Syria

Written By Unknown on Senin, 27 Oktober 2014 | 22.11

By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent

The family of a British doctor who claim he was murdered in Syria say they feel "vindicated" by an inquest ruling.

A jury at London's Royal Courts of Justice concluded Abbas Khan, who died in a Damascus prison, was "unlawfully killed".

But Syrian officials say he committed suicide by hanging himself in a cell after 13 months in custody.

The married father-of-two, from south-west London, had travelled from Turkey to the rebel-held city of Aleppo to treat injured civilians.

He was arrested in November 2012 whilst volunteering in a hospital.

His family campaigned for his release for months before he was found dead on 16 December 2013.

Speaking outside court, Dr Khan's brother Afroze said: "We have always maintained he was an innocent man who travelled to Syria for no other reason than to help civilians in the Syrian conflict.

"We have always maintained he was mistreated, maltreated and tortured by the Syrian authorities, and maintained he was murdered by the Syrians.

Video: Jan, 2014: Mum Confronts Delegates

"Today our position has been vindicated."

Another of Dr Khan's brothers Shah told Sky News that the family's appeals for help from the UK government "fell on deaf ears".

He said the help was "tantamount to one letter in 13 months after 10 months painstakingly pushing them".

He added the Khans had "opened up avenues for the government to pursue with difference countries" and the family got together a group of MPs that could have got him out two months before he died.

When he died, the 32-year-old orthopaedic surgeon was on the verge of being released from prison and being allowed home for Christmas.

During the inquest, the jury heard evidence from Dr Khan's mother Fatima who, the chief coroner Judge Peter Thornton said, had been "extraordinarily persistent" in trying to locate and free her son.

In evidence she explained how she travelled to the capital Damascus alone when she found out her son was being detained on terror charges.

She trawled embassies and prisons with a picture of her son who was working as a surgeon when he was arrested.

When she eventually tracked him down she described how he had a fingernail missing and that his feet were badly burnt.

Outside court, said she was grateful to the jury and described him as "angelic".

She told reporters: "I regret I couldn't save my son. Everybody lied to me there (Syria). There was no justice system there."

The family's lawyer Michael Mansfield QC said it was an important case which laid down a marker and should now go forward to the International Criminal Court.

He said: "What this jury has done is uncover the truth - that it was never suicide."

The jury said the medical cause of death was "unascertained".

During the two-week hearing, it heard there was no evidence Dr Khan had gone to Syria to fight.

Judge Thornton said: "It is clear that he wanted to use his medical skills to help others, and that included helping others in conflict-torn Syria."


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