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17 Dec 2013

British doctor dies in Syrian prison

A British surgeon who was imprisoned for a year by Syrian security forces while helping casualties of war is found dead in a prison cell.

Photo from @FreeDRABBASKHAN

Dr Abbas Khan, 32, travelled to Syria to help provide emergency medical relief during the conflict. But he was seized by government troops in the rebel-held city of Aleppo in November last year after he entered the country on a humanitarian mission without a visa.

His release had been promised by the Syrian government this week, but his brother Afroze Khan said on Monday that he died in detention.

Mr Khan, 34, told the BBC: “My brother was going to be released at the end of the week. We were given assurance by the Syrian government.

“My brother knew that. He was ready to come back home. He was happy and looking forward to being released.”

He added the family was angry at the Foreign Office for “dragging their feet” for more than a year over the release of the orthopaedic surgeon from Streatham, south London.

At least 36 people, including children, died on Monday after Syrian army helicopters dropped improvised bombs on the city of Aleppo, said opposition activists.

Dr Khan’s sister told Sky News: “My brother is my hero. He didn’t die in a normal way, he died trying to make a difference. Some could say he was naive for going out there and risking his life but he went out there because he knew his skills could help.”

A message on the Free Dr Abbas Khan Twitter feed said his life was “taken meaninglessly”. It added: “He was the best brother I could ever asked for and I know no one with a purer heart than him. His release was due to be this week.”

Read more: Why doctors in Syria have become high-value targets

International Criminal Court

Amnesty International said Dr Khan’s death reinforced the need for Britain to press the UN Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.

Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International’s UK Syria campaign manager, said: “We don’t know the full circumstances yet, but this is yet another deeply troubling death in custody in Syria.

“We know all too well that the torture of detainees is widespread and committed with impunity by the Syrian authorities, with detainees often crowded into vermin-infested cells, denied urgently-needed medical treatment and even abused by medical staff. The UK government should denounce Dr Khan’s death in the strongest possible terms and ensure that, no matter how long it takes, whoever is responsible is brought to justice.”

More than 1,000 people are believed to have died in the custody of the Syrian security forces since the start of the crisis in the country in March 2011, according to Amnesty. Torture and ill-treatment of detainees, including children, is also said to be widespread by government forces and associated militias, in an attempt to extract information or “confessions”.

Detainees held in cramped, unsanitary conditions often suffer beatings, suspension by the limbs, being hung in a tyre, electric shocks and sexual abuse.

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