According to a report by FCN, citing Al Arabiya, Nizar Zakka, an information technology and communications industry expert and Lebanese-American citizen imprisoned in Iran, issued a voice message calling on officials of his country to rescue him from what he described as “abduction by the Revolutionary Guards forces.”
Zakka, in a voice message broadcast by several Lebanese media outlets, called on all Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, and Abbas Ibrahim, head of Lebanon’s public security organization, to intervene for his release after approximately 200 days of captivity in Iran.
Zakka traveled to Tehran in September of last year at the invitation of Shahindokht Molaverdi, the deputy to Hassan Rouhani on women and family affairs, to participate in a conference on “the role of women in sustainable development.” He also has a history of travel to Iran during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s presidency.
According to a statement by “IJMA3” (the Arab Information and Communications Technology Organization – IJMA3-USA) based in Washington, Nizar Zakka disappeared on September 18 (September 27 by Persian calendar) while in Tehran. This organization works on internet freedom issues in the Middle East region, and Nizar Zakka is its secretary general.
In his voice message, Nizar Zakka stated: “This message was recorded on April 2, 2016, on the twenty-first day of my hunger strike, which was the 197th day of my abduction by the Revolutionary Guards during my official visit to Iran. I came to this country in response to an official invitation from the deputy to the Iranian president, and since my abduction in September 2015, I have been unable to meet with any lawyer or representative of my embassy.”
He added: “Perhaps if I had been a member of a party or political faction, I would have been freed by now, just as the Shiite Lebanese abducted in Syria and Turkish pilots abducted in Lebanon were freed two years ago.”
Earlier, the Farsnews agency, close to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, confirmed on Sunday, November 8, the arrest of Lebanese businessman Nizar Zakka, who also holds American citizenship. The agency wrote that Nizar Zakka was an activist of Lebanon’s March 14 movement, a coalition critical of Hezbollah.
Previously, Iran’s state television had confirmed the arrest of Nizar Zakka, vice president of the “World Information Technology and Services Alliance” (WITSA), a person whose disappearance in Tehran had previously been reported.
Iran’s state radio and television, citing “informed sources,” claimed that Nizar Zakka “has deep connections with the American military and intelligence community.”
The report described Nizar Zakka as a “hidden treasure” and reported the publication of images of him in American military uniform at the “Rio Side” military base.
This is while Nizar Zakka is an American-Lebanese citizen, and given his long-term residence in the United States, his military service in that country is a natural matter.
Lebanese newspaper Al-Liwa reported on Thursday, October 28, the arrest of Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese businessman, vice president of the “World Information Technology and Services Alliance” (WITSA), and secretary general of the “Arab Organization of Information and Communications Technology” (IJMA3) in Iran “for undisclosed reasons.”
This was while earlier reports had indicated the disappearance of Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen residing in America, in Iran.
Earlier, Al-Liwa newspaper had written that Nizar Zakka was arrested during a trip to Tehran at the invitation of the Iranian government to participate in a conference.
According to this report, Zakka’s family is attempting to issue a statement or hold a press conference to inform about the “arrest of their son” in Iran.
Before that, Antoine Abu Diab, the defending lawyer for the “Arab Organization of Information and Communications Technology,” had announced in a statement that Nizar Zakka received an invitation on September 20 from Shahindokht Molaverdi, deputy to the Iranian president on women and family affairs, to participate in the “Second International Exhibition and Conference on the Role of Women in Sustainable Development” with the theme of “Entrepreneurship and Job Creation.”
According to this statement, Nizar Zakka traveled to Iran on September 15 and participated in all programs and roundtables of the conference. He was also one of the keynote speakers of this conference.
The IJMA3 organization’s statement adds that Nizar Zakka left his hotel on September 18 after the conference ended and was headed to the airport by taxi, but available information indicates he did not reach the airport and did not board the plane, and there has been no news of him since.
Mr. Antoine Adieb wrote: “We informed the Lebanese embassy in Tehran that Mr. Zakka had disappeared. We asked the Lebanese government for help in finding him. Several requests were also submitted to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry, but these measures were ineffective. Therefore, respectfully, we ask the Lebanese Foreign Ministry, the Lebanese embassy in Tehran, and Iranian officials to help find Mr. Zakka, ensure his safety, and return him to his country.”
Majed Damascene, the defending lawyer for Nizar Zakka, told Lebanese newspaper Al-Nahr that Zakka’s family contacted Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil but did not receive a helpful response from him. He added: “We tried to get appointments with some officials, but we are always put off until tomorrow and the day after. We are now trying to contact parties that may be effective in this case.”
In 2013, newspaper Watan-e Emrooz, in a report, introduced Nizar Zakka as one of the founders of the “International Association of Iranian Managers” who participates in a security project called “Pol.” This report claimed that the “Pol” project was a cover program for American penetration into Iran’s political and executive structures.
At the conference where Nizar Zakka was a speaker, in addition to Ms. Shahindokht Molaverdi, Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, Iran’s Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade, Mahmoud Hejazi, Minister of Agriculture Jihad, and Ali Rabiei, Minister of Labor, Welfare and Social Affairs, were also present.
Lebanese newspaper Al-Liwa described Nizar Zakka as a pioneer in the information technology and communications industry in the region and the world. The “World Information Technology and Services Alliance” (WITSA), of which Nizar Zakka serves as chairman of the policy council, represents approximately 90 percent of the global information technology and communications industry, and 80 leading national associations in this industry are its members.
The “Arab Organization of Information and Communications Technology” (IJMA3), of which Nizar Zakka is secretary general, is a regional organization with 14 Arab countries as members.
