State Department diplomat Mark Lenzi, who allegedly contracted “Havana Syndrome” in 2017, has filed lawsuits against Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the State Department, accusing them of disability discrimination, court filings show.
Lenzi filed his suit – first known filed against the US government by a victim of the strange constellation of symptoms now known Havana syndrome- in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
The lawsuit alleges that the State Department has initially downplayed the health risks of Havana Syndrome, with the agency-affiliated doctor refusing to diagnose him with the condition.
Due to that, Lenzi, a diplomatic security services officer, received less support than other colleagues, his career with the agency has stagnated and his requests for promotions and foreign postings were denied
CNN reported that Lenzi and his family began experiencing sudden and unexplained mental and physical symptoms in 2017, while stationed in Guangzhou, China. He was later diagnosed with a brain injury.
Lenzi decided to pursue a civil suit after the three complaints he previously filed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission were dismissed.
The State Department, which issued no answer to requests for comment, has repeatedly faced sharp criticism from lawmakers and syndrome victims over its handling of the incidents and its care for hundreds of affected diplomats.
Although Blinken announced in November new leadership of the Department’s task force addressing Havana syndrome cases, promising to find answers on the mysterious incidents impacting staff with debilitating health symptoms, no significant progress has been made.
The first case of Havana syndrome was reported in 2016 at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba when an American diplomat began to get mysteriously ill, ending up in hospitals for months or with brain injuries no one knows what caused, though some believe it’s a result of an attack in which radio wave weapons were used.
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