News & Insights

Sher Tremonte Wins Asylum for Syrian Doctor

On March 6, 2017, Sher Tremonte obtained a grant of asylum for the firm’s client, a physician from Syria. In the early days of the Syrian revolution, our client was part of a collective of doctors and medical students in Damascus that provided medical care to peaceful protestors demonstrating against the Assad Regime. The collective set up makeshift field hospitals and surreptitiously transported medical supplies throughout the country after numerous protestors were shot or beaten by government forces and subsequently arrested at government-run hospitals when they tried to seek medical care. Our client was targeted by the Regime for providing humanitarian care to demonstrators, and for being an outspoken proponent of democracy and human rights in Syria. In addition, he was threatened by fundamentalist militants for supporting secularism and speaking in favor of religious tolerance.

Our client escaped Syria in 2013 and was able to reach the United States in 2014. Sher Tremonte lawyers Theresa Trzaskoma, Erica Wolff, and Noam Biale filed an asylum application in 2015, extensively documenting the dangers faced by medical professionals in Syria. On March 6, the application was granted and as a result, our client will now be able to stay in the US and continue his work here, providing care to military veterans as a medical resident in a VA hospital.

Upon learning about his asylum approval, our client said, “This would have never been possible without Sher Tremonte’s limitless support and commitment throughout the last two years. Because of you guys, I can say for the first time in long, long years that I am a free man who has no fear of the future.”