In 2018, Australian nurse Simon Mauchline was deployed by the German NGO CADUS e.V. into northeast Syria to await a project that had become obsolete after needs on the ground had ceased. Despite the absence of a clear purpose, he was sent into a high-risk area anyways where he was abducted and tortured for 48 days. He is now suing the organization for failing to assess and manage foreseeable risks and for abandoning him without support during his post-release recovery.
At its core, this case demands clarity: what level of risk is reasonable for aid organizations to take on behalf of their staff—and who is accountable when it goes wrong?