AMNA NAWAZ: American psychotherapist Majd Kamalmaz was one of half-a-dozen Americans detained and killed in Syria by Bashar al-Assad's regime.

He led an NGO that treated young victims of the war in Bosnia, the tsunami in Indonesia, and Hurricane Katrina.

In 2017, he traveled to Damascus to pay respects after his father-in-law's death.

He never came home.

Only last year, his family learned that he died in prison, but his body has not been found.

His daughter, Maryam Kamalmaz, recently met with the newly installed Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, to discuss not only her father, but other Americans who've disappeared in Syria.

And Maryam Kamalmaz joins me here.

Welcome.

Thanks for being here.

MARYAM KAMALMAZ, Daughter of Majd Kamalmaz: Thank you for having me.

AMNA NAWAZ: So I have to ask, because it was, as you mentioned, just over a year ago, that you received confirmation of your father's death from the U.S. government.

Just tell us what that year has been like and also why you wanted to meet with Ahmed al-Sharaa.

MARYAM KAMALMAZ: It's been a very -- a quiet year compared to my past years in the beginning.

Up until the prison doors of Syria were opened, we had been praying for this day to come, thinking maybe, just maybe, he's still alive and he could be one of these detainees walking out.

And we had a slight hopes that he could be.

And we ran into an individual that resembled him tremendously.

And we thought it could be him.

And I could not sleep the night just wishing and praying that it is him.

Unfortunately, then we learned the next day that this individual was picked up by his actual family.

We thought maybe under torture and being in such harsh conditions for a long time that his features have changed, but it wasn't him.

So that's actually the time that I really mourned his death.Seeing the images and the people that are coming out, I realized just to what extent the situation was and that he's really gone.

He didn't come out.

So that was the hardest.

AMNA NAWAZ: I'm so, so sorry.

MARYAM KAMALMAZ: Yes.

And thank you.

And I had actually booked my ticket to go to Syria to search for my father and see what I can find.

And the -- I asked them on the call, I said, well, I actually am going to Syria.

If anybody would like to send a message with me, I will try to do the best I can to have this delivered to the new government and as high up as I can.

And so the State Department then shared my e-mail with the families.

And some families sent me their letters.

And I took these letters and made it a priority to meet with Sharaa in order to give him these letters from the missing Americans that were lost in Syria.

And that's what led to my meeting with Sharaa.

AMNA NAWAZ: Tell me about that meeting.

Was there anything you were looking for in the way of answers about your father from him?

Were you able to get any of that information?

MARYAM KAMALMAZ: So, since they're really new, they have -- they were yet to establish a commission for the missing persons.

Unfortunately, there was nothing yet about my father.

Something that President Sharaa told me at the meeting is that they do plan to form a task force specifically for the missing Americans.

And... AMNA NAWAZ: Can I ask you, do you trust him?

Do you take him at his word?

Because we should remind people, al-Sharaa is a former al-Qaida insurgent, right?

He fought against U.S. forces in Iraq.

He was part of the rebel group that overthrew the Bashar al-Assad regime.

And he's now been recognized by the U.S., by President Donald Trump.

Do you trust him to lead Syria forward?

MARYAM KAMALMAZ: I never knew who he was before the liberation of Syria.

One thing that I did witness, obviously, we all witnessed it, is the way they liberated Syria.

They did it through the most peaceful way possible.

There was no civilian casualties.

They did it in such a peaceful way that it actually was so successful and so quick.

So it kind of led the way to believe that these individuals are really there to bring peace to the country.

And that was something that Sharaa repeated multiple times when we were in the meeting with him, that he wants peace for his country.

AMNA NAWAZ: I know.

That's what brought you here was meetings with lawmakers and others.

Do they have concerns about this path forward under President Sharaa?

Because there was, we should point out, some violence targeting some religious and ethnic minorities after this new government came to power.

Do people here have those concerns?

MARYAM KAMALMAZ: Yes, I have heard concerns about these specific situations, but I have to remind you that these specific situations did not start from the new government.

They were started by other groups that were trying to incite these clashes, and that even Sharaa himself told us he's not getting enough credit for him being able to quickly stop these clashes from happening.

AMNA NAWAZ: Maryam, I know you went to Syria looking for answers that you didn't get... but also carrying the message of so many others.

If there's an answer to this, what does justice even look like for you, for the tens of thousands of others who lost someone under the regime of Bashar al-Assad?

MARYAM KAMALMAZ: Right.

There's a tremendous amount of loss in Syria.

There's not a single door you will knock on that hasn't experienced at least one, two, or more deaths within their family.

So there's a great -- people are pushing for accountability, and they want to see that happen.

And those that are responsible for these crimes need to be brought to justice.

So I'm a true believer in this.

From my personal story with my father, we have now done the civil lawsuit against the Syrian regime.

And we're also continuing a criminal -- continuing into a criminal case against those that have done this as well.

So we're not stopping.

It's not over yet.

AMNA NAWAZ: Thank you so much for being here.

Once again, we're so sorry for your loss.

Maryam Kamalmaz, we appreciate your time.

MARYAM KAMALMAZ: Thank you.