MEDIA RELEASE
On Friday, a coalition of leading religious freedom advocates sent an open letter to Ambassador Tom Barrack, the US Special Presidential Envoy for Syria, asking him to secure the release of Suleiman Khalil, the former mayor of the Christian town of Sadad in Syria.
The signatories include Sam Brownback, the former US Ambassador for Religious Freedom, Christian Solidarity International, In Defense of Christians, and several other organisations.
Khalil, 52, has been imprisoned by the new Syrian government since 8 February 2025. Nearly 17 months into his detention, he has still not been charged with a crime, granted access to a lawyer, or allowed regular visits from his family. There are serious concerns about his health and well-being.
In 2015, the Islamic State (ISIS) attacked Sadad. As mayor, Khalil organised the defence of his town, likely preventing a massacre in Sadad, one of Syria’s oldest Christian towns.
“Mr. Khalil’s actions in defending his town against ISIS should be celebrated by all Syrians, especially the new government, which has officially joined the U.S.-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS,” the letter writers argued. “Instead, Syria’s government appears to be punishing him for it.”
Tom Barrack was appointed by President Trump to be the US ambassador to Turkey last year. In June 2026, he was given the additional mandate of Special Presidential Envoy for Syria and Iraq. Ambassador Barrack has been a forceful advocate for US support for the new Syrian government, which came to power after the dictatorship of Bashar al-Assad collapsed in December 2024.
“We respectfully ask you to intervene with the Syrian authorities to secure Mr. Khalil’s immediate release,” the letter writers concluded.
“By calling upon the Syrian government to immediately release Mr. Khalil — or, at a minimum, to provide him with access to legal counsel, necessary medical care, full and transparent notice of any charges against him, and the due process protections required by law — you would contribute powerfully to President Trump’s goal of protecting Christians in the Middle East, underline the United States’ and Syria’s shared commitment to fighting terrorism, and help ensure that the ‘new Syria’ will, indeed, be for all Syrians.”
The letter was signed by John Eibner for Christian Solidarity International, Richard Ghazal for In Defense of Christians, Ambassador Sam Brownback, Nadine Maenza of the Institute for Global Engagement, Charmaine Hedding of the Shai Fund, Robert Ozgun of the American Syriac Union, and Morhaf Ibrahim, the president of the Alawite Association of the United States.
Christian Solidarity International is campaigning for Suleiman Khalil’s immediate release. Supporters can send a message on Suleiman’s behalf directly to the Syrian Foreign Ministry through the CSI website.
