Congressman Gus Bilirakis, Jamie Baird, and Ryan Mackenzie call on U.S. Syria envoy to help free imprisoned Christian mayor.
Suleiman Khalil and his wife Eva in 2016. Suleiman Khalil has been detained by the new Syrian government since February 2025.
A group of members of the U.S. House of Representatives have written to Ambassador Tom Barrack, the U.S. special presidential envoy for Syria, to ask him to intervene on behalf of Suleiman Khalil, the imprisoned former mayor of the Christian town of Sadad.
“On February 8th, 2025, Syrian Transitional Government security forces detained Mr. Khalil at his home, and he was subsequently transferred to Homs Central Prison,” Congressmen Gus Bilirakis (R-Florida), James Baird (R-Indiana), and Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pennsylvania) wrote in the letter to Ambassador Barrack, dated October 5.
“Since then, he has been held without charge, denied access to legal counsel, afforded only limited, irregular family visitation, and deprived of access to necessary medical care.”
Suleiman Khalil is widely regarded as a hero in Sadad for organizing the defense of the town when it came under attack by ISIS in November 2015. Sadad, one of the oldest Christian towns in the world, is home to 9,000 Syriac Orthodox Christians. Thanks to Khalil’s efforts, ISIS was not able to enter Sadad, and its inhabitants were spared massacre and enslavement.
In December 2024, the regime of dictator Bashar al-Assad collapsed, and a jihadist group called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham seized power in Syria. The new government has won the support of the United States and its allies, but violence and discrimination against religious minorities has increased sharply under the rule of President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
“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 congressmen observed. “Instead, Mr. Khalil has now endured nineteen months of arbitrary detention.”
The congressmen ask Ambassador Barrack “to intervene with the Syrian authorities to ensure that Mr. Khalil’s rights as a detained person are upheld and, if they can provide no credible grounds for his continued detention, to ask for his release.”
Last month, Christian Solidarity International and In Defense of Christians brought Suleiman Khalil’s daughter, Natalie, to Washington DC to meet with members of Congress and the U.S. State Department about her father’s case.
Natalie Khalil also shared her father’s story in interviews with EWTN, World Magazine, the Christian Post, the National Catholic Register, CBN News, Christian Daily International, and other outlets.
Natalie brought a letter to Washington DC for President Trump. “Mr. President, you have championed the protection of persecuted Christians, and I am asking you to do this again for my father, my hero, Suleiman Khalil,” Natalie wrote.
“We commend Congressmen Bilirakis, Baird, and Mackenzie for taking this stand – not just for Suleiman Khalil, but for all Christians in Syria,” commented Joel Veldkamp, CSI’s director for public advocacy.
“If the Trump administration does not wish to see Christianity in Syria disappear on its watch, it must engage more vigorously to defend Christians’ rights as equal citizens in Syria. Intervening to secure Suleiman Khalil’s release from prison would be a feasible and tangible first step.”
Christian Solidarity International has launched a public campaign for Suleiman Khalil’s freedom. On CSI’s website, supporters can send a message to Syria’s foreign minister or to President Trump, asking them to help free Suleiman Khalil.
