The household of Majd Kamalmaz, an American psychotherapist who was detained at a authorities checkpoint in Damascus, Syria, in 2017, have filed a civil lawsuit towards the Syrian authorities, accusing it of abducting, torturing and killing him.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court docket in Washington, D.C., on behalf of Kamalmaz’s 4 kids, his widow and sister, accuses Syrian officers of intentionally killing the humanitarian and making an attempt to cowl up his dying.
His daughter, Maryam, informed Fox Information Digital final month that U.S. officers had introduced the Kamalmaz household with labeled info in Might, saying they imagine he died in Syria’s infamous jail system.
The lawsuit, filed below the International Sovereign Immunities Act’s “state sponsor of terrorism” exception, seeks compensatory damages for wrongful dying, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional misery and false imprisonment.
The plaintiffs additionally search punitive damages, bringing the whole declare to at the very least $70 million.
“In the present day, on behalf of the Kamalmaz household, we have now taken simply step one in direction of holding the Syrian regime accountable for its crimes towards Majd Kamalmaz which culminated in his homicide,” mentioned Kirby Behre, lead counsel on behalf of the Kamalmaz household, in line with a press launch from the Syrian Emergency Job Drive.
“The household filed this swimsuit to carry worldwide consideration to Syria’s crimes towards hundreds of victims, and is relying on the U.S. authorities to provoke prison prices towards Syria.”
Kamalmaz was visiting an aged member of the family on the time of his detainment and meant to ascertain a clinic in Syria to assist victims impacted by the civil battle.
His daughter, Ula, informed Fox Information Digital earlier this 12 months that the household was by no means given a cause for his or her father’s detainment as a result of there was by no means a case or crime towards him.
She advised her father may have been detained as a consequence of his American passport.
“He didn’t do something,” she mentioned. “He wasn’t very political, you already know, the one factor he was doing was simply … he was a psychotherapist working with refugees.”
“They arrange a brief checkpoint, and it was set as much as kidnap him. They usually in all probability thought they might earn cash off of him. That’s how they do issues in Syria. Now, sadly, they’ll detain the individual, they usually received’t let him free till the household pays a extremely great amount to get him out,” Ula added. “So, it’s simply very corrupt.”
The civil lawsuit alleges that Dr. Kamalmaz was unlawfully detained, falsely imprisoned and subjected to inhuman and illegal remedy in infamous Syrian prisons, together with the Mezzeh Navy Airport, which is understood for the “torture and homicide of perceived enemies of the Syrian regime.”
“Syrian officers and brokers purposefully killed Mr. Kamalmaz. Performing in live performance and with premeditation, these officers and brokers intentionally killed Mr. Kamalmaz and tried to cowl up his dying,” the lawsuit learn partly.
“The Syrian regime’s killing of Mr. Kamalmaz was designed to intimidate and terrorize the civilian inhabitants of Syria, the victims’ family members, and the worldwide neighborhood.”
The U.S. authorities has a fund arrange for victims of state-sponsored terrorism that might present compensation for the Kamalmaz household ought to the court docket rule of their favor and award them damages.
The USA Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund will pay out claims, with a cap of $20 million per individual, or $20 million to $35 million per household. Relying on the amount of cash within the fund, the household may get a sure share of no matter award is given over a number of years.
“I do know that if my father was with me proper now, he wouldn’t relaxation till all males, ladies and kids are launched from the Assad regime’s focus camps,” mentioned Maryam. “In his honor, we plan to maintain the regime totally accountable for its crimes towards People and Syrians alike, and we name on the U.S. Senate to urgently cross the Assad Anti-Normalization Act for the sake of People nonetheless held by this prison regime.”
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