A federal court in Washington, DC, has ordered the Syrian regime to pay $364 million in punitive damages to the families of two American soldiers who were tortured and killed by Damascus-backed terrorists in Iraq more than 15 years ago.
The ruling was issued by Judge Reggie Walton, who awarded the families of Private Byron Fouty and Army Staff Sargent Alex R. Jimenez this large sum in damages.
The move comes after Judge Walton, in a previous ruling in July, held the Syrian regime responsible for the deaths of Fouty and Jimenez, who were captured during an attack on a military observation post in the village of Taqah, south of Baghdad, on May 12, 2007. During the attack, four American soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter were killed, and Fouty, Jimenez and Private Joseph Anzac Jr. were kidnapped. Anzac’s body was found 10 days later in the Euphrates River, while Fouty and Jimenez’s remains were not found until July 2008 and identified through dental records.
According to court documents, Al-Qaeda in Iraq, which later renamed itself the Islamic State in Iraq, had received material support and training from the Syrian regime.
Judge Walton confirmed in his ruling that this support was part of a coordinated plan by the Syrian regime to target American forces in Iraq.
In 2018, attorney Ron Jenkins filed a lawsuit against the Syrian regime on behalf of the soldiers’ families, arguing that the Syrian regime’s support enabled terrorists to kidnap, torture, and execute Fouty and Jimenez.
The Anzac soldier’s family was not a party to the lawsuit, which included four members of the Fouty family and eight members of the Jimenez family, in addition to the soldiers’ estate.
Although the Syrian regime has not responded to the complaint or sent a representative to attend the court hearings, the ruling includes the possibility of seizing Syrian assets to compensate the families. “Compensation for damages is justice for the families of the soldiers, although no amount of money can compensate for the loss,” said attorney Jenkins, noting that the large ruling was the result of “aggravating factors” in the case.
The lawyer stressed that there are several options to enforce the ruling, such as freezing Syrian assets in the United States or attempting to seize Syrian assets abroad. However, Jenkins acknowledged that implementing these steps is “not easy,” but stressed his commitment to pursuing the case until justice is achieved, even if it takes years.
The case was prosecuted under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, which gives U.S. courts jurisdiction over countries that support terrorism or provide material assistance to terrorist groups that result in the injury or death of U.S. citizens. The ruling is part of a series of court rulings against the Syrian regime on charges related to its support for international terrorism.
The latest ruling reflects a legal escalation against the Syrian regime in US courts, and raises questions about how such rulings will be enforced, especially in light of the political and economic tensions surrounding US-Syrian relations.
A Hibr Press Story
