Abbas Khan, a father of two, was a British

orthopaedic surgeon Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

who was killed at age 32 on 16 December 2013 while imprisoned by the

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

n government. The Syrian government claim that Dr. Abbas committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

but this is disputed. The British

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

say that Dr Abbas was "effectively murdered". In November 2012, Abbas Khan had gone to

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

to help refugees from Syria during the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, but, after two weeks, he crossed the border into Syria to help those unable to reach the border between the two countries. Khan was arrested in

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

, 48 hours after entering Syria. When Khan's younger sister, Sara, found out that her brother was missing, the family contacted the Foreign Office, hoping for help in finding him, but the FCO did nothing. Eventually, his mother, Fatima Khan, found Abbas in a prison in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

through unofficial help given by the Indian and Russian embassies eight months later. When she found him, his weight had dropped to less than , and he could hardly walk. She also described seeing a missing fingernail and burned feet — signs of torture familiar to Syrians.Rapidly unravelling: Bashar Assad’s impunity is undermining the fight against Islamic State
economist.com. He told her that he had been tortured and held for eight months in an underground cell. Dr. Khan told his family that he was accused of treating dying civilians (women and children), which had been classed as an act of terrorism. Dr. Khan worked as a specialist registrar in orthopaedic surgery at the

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) is a specialist orthopaedic hospital located in Stanmore in the London Borough of Harrow, run by the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust. It provides the most comprehensive range of neuro- ...

. The Foreign Office said it was "extremely concerned" by reports. In December 2013, the

ICRC The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a humanitarian organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, and is a three-time Nobel Prize laureate. The organization has played an instrumental role in the development of rules of war and ...

transported his body from Damascus to the Lebanese capital,

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

, then back to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, United Kingdom. In July 2014, two men who had been imprisoned with Dr. Khan in Damascus told the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

that he had given treatment to other prisoners in jail, and taught them English, and had been positive and strong. He had ultimately been taken away by Intelligence Services, and the men said they believed he was killed because of what he had witnessed - "Abbas saw everything. They killed him for the things he saw. They didn't want anyone to know." On 27 October 2014, a jury in London found that the Syrian government “deliberately and intentionally killed” Khan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Abbas 2013 deaths Deaths by person in Syria Prisoners who died in Syrian detention