The Foreign Office is investigating reports that British doctor Abbas Khan has died in custody in Syria.
Dr Khan, 32, an orthopaedic surgeon from Streatham, south London, had been held in Syria for more than a year.
He was seized by government troops in the rebel-held city of Aleppo after he entered the country with a visa on a humanitarian mission.
A statement from the Foreign Office said: "We are extremely concerned by reports that Dr Khan has died in detention in Syria and are urgently seeking confirmation from the Syrian authorities.
"If these tragic reports are true, responsibility for Dr Khan's death lies with them and we will be pressing for answers about what happened.
"We have consistently sought consular access to Dr Khan and information on his detention, directly and through the Russians, Czechs and others.
"In November, minister Hugh Robertson wrote making clear our concerns about his welfare and treatment, stressing that the regime's failure to provide any information that would indicate Dr Khan's continued detention is legitimate meant his position should be reviewed immediately.
"These requests have consistently been ignored.
Dr Khan with his son. Pic: FreeAbbasKhan/Facebook "All UK consular services in Syria were suspended some time ago and we continue to advise against all travel to Syria."
Dr Khan's brother, Afroze, told the BBC: "My brother was going to be released at the end of the week. We were given assurance by the Syrian government.
"My brother knew that. He was ready to come back home. He was happy and looking forward to being released."
He added that the family was angry at the Foreign Office for "dragging their feet" for more than a year.
A message on the Free Dr Abbas Khan Twitter feed said his life was "taken meaninglessly".
It added: "He was the best brother I could ever asked for and I know no one with a purer heart than him. His release was due to be this week."
A statement issued by Bradford West MP George Galloway said the MP "had been negotiating for months with the Syrian government over the release of Dr Khan and was due to fly out this week to bring him home".
Mr Galloway said: "I think we will have to wait for clarification on how exactly he died but this is heartbreaking and devastating news for his family who have been working so hard for so long to secure his release, particularly because his freedom had been agreed and he was due to return with me in the next few days.
"My sincere condolences go out to his family whose pain is unbearable."
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