The Foreign Office failed the family of Abbas Khan

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/09/foreign-office-failed-family-abbas-khan

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Fatima Khan's account of her son Abbas's torture and death in a Syrian prison (G2, 8 January) made almost unbearable reading, not just for the unimaginable suffering this courageous young doctor endured at the hands of the Syrian regime but also because of the questions it raised about our MPs' failure to support the Khan family during their terrifying ordeal.

The failure of William Hague to contact the family directly after Abbas's sudden disappearance in Syria is a terrible obfuscation of duty, but Sayeeda Warsi's telephone call to his mother in which she asserts that Fatima should be happy that she had returned her call but there was nothing the government could do is staggering in its lack of humanity. It adds grievous insult to injury that a mother going through the turmoil that Fatima was experiencing should have to listen to this response. I feel utterly ashamed of Britain's handling of this and extend heartfelt condolences to the Khan family.<br /><strong>Cass Witcombe</strong><br /><em>London</em>

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