January 20, 2022

On February 14th, 2017, Majd Kamalmaz called his wife to tell her he had safely made it to Syria and was with his relatives. That was the last time she heard from him. 

Majd Kamalmaz is an American psychologist and humanitarian who devoted his life to opening up clinics in war torn areas and helping individuals there recover. In February of 2017, Majd Kamalmaz was in Lebanon with his wife operating two mental health clinics for Syrian refugees.  He had planned a trip to Damascus, Syria following the death of his relative living there. While in Syria, Majd had planned to pay his respects to his deceased loved one and also take the opportunity to look into providing professional support to those traumatized by the country’s civil war.

Majd was able to travel to Syria through Lebanon legally and encountered no issues entering the country. He arrived on February 14th, 2017 and his abduction happened the very next day. Majd was kidnapped at a damascus checkpoint. His family learned of his abduction through family and friends in Syria because he never made it to his destination. No one was able to locate him or get any type of contact with him. Some time after his abduction, the family received proof of life through a former detainee. One former prisoner had reached out to the family and confirmed that Majd was still alive in 2017 and that he had spoken with him at the prison. Majd Kamalmaz is believed to be held in Saydnaya prison, a prison well known for its brutal conditions. Basic necessities are not given to prisoners and torture is frequently used.

Majd Kamalmaz is a 63 year old with diabetes and other health conditions. Majd was never involved in middle eastern politics, his life was simply devoted to helping those who needed it. One of his daughters, Maryam Kamalmaz, describes how as a child her father would always be traveling to different states in America and different countries after any catastrophe hit. He worked in Louisiana after hurricane Katrina, he traveled to Indonesia after the Tsunami hit, he also worked with war victims in Kosovo and Bosnia. It is strongly believed that he was kidnapped in Syria solely because of his American Citizenship. 

Majd is an American who is being unjustly detained and most likely tortured by the Syrian regime. His family has not heard from him or seen him in almost 5 years. Majd’s wife of 39 years has felt that she has lost her purpose and direction in life without her husband. She traveled with him everywhere and was always by his side. The thought of not knowing where her husband is and whether he is alive or not, has had a drastic negative impact on her life. Majd’s mother is also praying each day that she will be able to reunite with her eldest son one more time before she passes away. Majd was the breadwinner of the household, and now his family is left to pick up the remaining pieces and attempt to move forward. This has left them drained emotionally and financially. For five years, the family has suffered living in the unknown. 

Unfortunately, Majd is not the only American being illegally held in Syria. Austin Tice is another American being held hostage in Syria. Both Americans have not seen or spoken with their family since their kidnapping. As of now, both are still believed to be alive however we must do more. Our administration needs to place more pressure on the Syrian government to release our innocent citizens. Without pressure from our government, countries like Syria will only kidnap more Americans and continue to use them as leverage against America. Before another American dies under the hands of a corrupted regime, our administration must take immediate action.