LONDON: Syrian authorities said they have offered the family of a British doctor who died in their custody the chance to arrange an independent post-mortem examination, the BBC reported Wednesday.

Bashar Assad’s regime says that Abbas Khan, a 32-year-old orthopaedic surgeon from south London, committed suicide but Britain has accused the authorities of “effectively murdering” him.

One of Khan’s brothers said the offer was “frankly insulting,” adding that the family just wanted his body to be brought home.

Khan traveled to the northern city of Aleppo last year to help civilians but was captured by the Syrian regime, and on Tuesday his family announced he had died in detention. The BBC reported on Wednesday that Syrian authorities had made an offer for Khan’s family to arrange a post-mortem to establish the cause of death.

However, the surgeon’s brother Khan had been working with London-based charity Human Aid UK to provide medical training to Syrian health care staff in Turkey before he crossed the border to Aleppo.

Khan’s family said they were “shocked and devastated” at news of his death, as Syrian authorities had promised to release him this week.