The mother of a British doctor who died in Syrian custody today told an inquest he cried and begged her to take him home after she visited him in jail.
Dr Abbas Khan, 32, was found dead in his cell days before the Syrian government claimed he would be freed.
The surgeon and father of two from London was in Aleppo on a humanitarian mission when he was captured. He had been held for almost a year at the time of his death last December.
His mother Fatima Mahmood, who described herself as a “simple housewife” told the hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice she went to Damascus alone in an attempt to free him.
In July 2013 she gained a 14-day visa to enter Syria and days later she found her son in prison. She told the inquest how they cried during their reunion, adding: “He was a skeleton. He said ‘please take me home mummy’. His hands were cold and full of black marks and one nail was missing. His feet were completely burned.”
When she asked him what had happened to him, he replied “this is nothing, I have suffered more than this”.
Chief coroner Judge Peter Thornton had earlier told jurors Dr Khan’s family had made “superhuman efforts” to secure his release.
Dr Khan’s family claim he was murdered in custody. The Syrian government has always maintained Dr Khan killed himself. The inquest continues.
