The family of American doctor of Syrian origin Majd Kam Almaz has filed a lawsuit against the Syrian regime in the federal court in the US capital, Washington, accusing it of kidnapping, torturing, and killing Majd in one of its prisons, and attempting to cover up his death.

On Monday, July 22, the Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF) quoted Kirby Behre, the lead attorney for Majd’s family, as saying, “We have taken the first step toward holding the Syrian regime accountable for its crimes against Majd Kam Almaz, which culminated in his death.”

The family filed the lawsuit to draw international attention to the Syrian regime’s crimes against thousands of victims, relying on the US government to pursue criminal charges against Syria, according to the lawyer.

The American news site “Fox News” reported that the lawsuit seeks compensation for wrongful death, assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and imprisonment, under the “state sponsor of terrorism” exception in the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.

The family is seeking punitive damages, bringing the total claim to $70 million.

Majd’s family could receive compensation from the US Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund, if the court rules in their favor and awards them damages, according to Fox News.

The fund can dispense claims up to a maximum of $20 million per individual, or between $20 to $35 million per family, in addition to a certain percentage of any rewards granted over the years from the fund based on its available funds.

Majd Kam Almaz was arrested at a regime checkpoint after arriving in Syria in February 2017. He was 59 years old at that time.

Treated Syrians without discrimination

Majd did not hold any political stance, according to his family members. He opened a psychiatric clinic in Lebanon to treat Syrians from all sides of the conflict.

Born in Damascus, Majd traveled to the United States at the age of six and spent most of his life there. He volunteered to treat disaster victims in the US and abroad, and he did not visit Syria until he confirmed that he was not wanted by the regime.

Early in 2019, his family appealed to the US administration to uncover his fate, not knowing whether he was alive or not, or whether he was receiving his diabetes medication.

The news of Majd’s death in the Syrian regime’s detention was confirmed by the State Department on June 12, 2024, without the ministry receiving any response from the regime about what happened to him.

On May 18, 2024, Mariam, Majd’s daughter, said that he died based on detailed intelligence information she obtained after meeting with eight senior US officials.

At that time, the officials told her that the accuracy of the information about her father’s death was nine out of ten.