The family of Majid Kamalmaz, an American psychotherapist who was detained at a government checkpoint in Damascus, Syria in 2017, has filed a civil lawsuit against the Syrian government, alleging that he was kidnapped, tortured, and killed.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C., on behalf of Kamalmaz’s four children, widow and sister, accuses Syrian authorities of deliberately killing the humanitarian and then trying to cover up his death.
His daughter Mariam He told Fox News Digital last month U.S. authorities provided a classified intelligence report to Kamalmaz’s family in May, informing them they believed he had died in Syria’s notorious prison system.
American psychotherapist Majid Kamalmaz is believed to have died in Syria’s notorious prison system. (Kamalmaz family)
The lawsuit was filed under the “state sponsor of terrorism” exception in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and seeks damages for wrongful death, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and false imprisonment.
The plaintiffs also seek punitive damages, bringing their total claim to at least $70 million.
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“Today, on behalf of the Kamalmaz family, we have taken the first step in holding the Syrian regime accountable for the crimes against Majid Kamalmaz that ultimately led to his murder,” said Kirby Behle, lead lawyer for the Kamalmaz family. According to a press release: From the Syrian Rapid Task Force.
“The families have filed this lawsuit to draw international attention to the crimes committed by Syria against thousands of victims and hope the U.S. government will initiate criminal charges against Syria.”
Majid Kamalmaz with his grandchildren. (Kamalmaz family)
At the time of his detention, Kamalmaz was visiting elderly family members and intended to set up a clinic in Syria to help victims affected by the civil war.
His daughter Ula told Fox News Digital earlier this year that the family was not informed of the reasons for her father’s detention because there had been no charges or crimes filed against him.
She suggested that her father may have been detained because he held an American passport.
“He didn’t do anything,” she said. “He wasn’t very political. The only thing he did was he was a psychotherapist working with refugees.”
“They set up a temporary checkpoint to kidnap him, and then they thought they could make money off of him. That’s how it works in Syria. Unfortunately, they’re holding him and they won’t release him until his family pays a lot of money to release him,” Ullah added. “So this is very corrupt.”
Majid Kamalmaz was detained at a government checkpoint in Damascus, Syria, in 2017. (AP Photo)
The civil lawsuit alleges that Dr. Kamalmaz was illegally detained, wrongfully imprisoned and subjected to inhuman and unlawful treatment in notorious Syrian prisons, including Meze military airport, known for the “torture and killing of perceived enemies of the Syrian regime.”
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“Syrian officials and operatives intentionally killed Mr. Kamalmaz. The officials and operatives conspired and premeditated to intentionally kill Mr. Kamalmaz and to attempt to cover up his death,” the lawsuit states.
“The Syrian regime’s murder of Kamalmaz was designed to intimidate and terrorize Syrian civilians, the victim’s family, and the international community.”
FILE PHOTO: A man walks in front of a banner depicting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Douma, a Damascus suburb, Syria, on September 17, 2018. (Reuters/Marco Jurica/File Photo)
The US government has set up a fund for victims of state-sponsored terrorism, which could potentially provide compensation if the court rules in favour of the Kamalmaz family and awards them damages.
The United States Fund for Victims of National Sponsored Terrorism $20 million per person cap, Or $20 million to $35 million per family. Depending on the amount of the fund, families can receive a percentage of the award, which will be awarded over several years.
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“I know that if my father were with me today, he would not rest until every man, woman and child is freed from the Assad regime’s concentration camps,” Mariam said. “In my father’s honor, we will hold the Assad regime fully accountable for the crimes it has committed against both Americans and Syrians, and we call on the U.S. Senate to swiftly pass the Anti-Assad Normalization Act for the sake of Americans still held captive by this criminal regime.”
