London: A 32-year-old Indian-origin surgeon found dead in a prison in war-torn Syria last year was murdered, a UK court ruled, saying that he was "deliberately and intentionally" killed without any legal justification. Shah Abbas Khan, father-of-two from south London, died on December 16, 2013 while in custody in Damascus. The ortheopaedic surgeon had travelled from Turkey to Aleppo to treat injured civilians. He was arrested in November 2012 whilst volunteering in a hospital. His family campaigned for his release for months before he was found dead. They claim he was murdered but the Syrian government maintained he was found hanging in a jail cell. Khan's body was taken out of Syria by the International Committee of the Red Cross and returned to family members waiting in Lebanon.

Under English law, inquests are held to examine violent, unnatural or unexplained deaths. The jury of seven men and four women concluded that the medical cause of Khan's death was "unascertained", but found his killing unlawful. "Dr Khan was deliberately and intentionally killed without any legal justification," said the jury forewoman. "As a family, we have always maintained that our brother was an innocent man who travelled to Syria for no other reason than helping injured civilians in the conflict," said Afroze, Khan's brother. "We have always maintained that he was mistreated, maltreated and tortured by the Syrian authorities and that he was murdered by the Syrians. Today, our position as a family has been vindicated completely," Afroze said. Khan's mother, Fatima, said she was grateful to the jury, but believed she had been let down by governments, including the UK.