Amnesty International Warns About the Health Status of Lebanese Citizen Imprisoned in Iran

On Friday, September 16, Amnesty International issued a statement regarding the health status of Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen imprisoned in Iran, urging for his access to medical facilities. The statement indicated that if this Lebanese citizen does not receive medical care, his physical condition will deteriorate. Amnesty International reports that Nizar Zakka suffers from severe back pain and gastrointestinal discomfort, and according to his family, he has become very weak and has experienced significant weight loss. This Lebanese citizen was arrested on September 18, 2015, by security agents in Tehran and has since been held in Evin Prison. According to the report, Nizar Zakka has been accused of 'espionage and collaborating with an enemy state,' and his first trial session was held last month in Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. Mr. Zakka's family has denied these accusations, stating that he has had no connections with military or intelligence agencies. Lebanese officials have not yet reacted to Nizar Zakka's arrest and accusations. Amnesty International criticized the judicial process against Nizar Zakka, emphasizing that he has been 'deprived of the right to a fair trial.' According to the report, Nizar Zakka was deprived of contact with his defense attorney for five months, and Iranian judicial authorities have not yet granted his attorney full access to his case file. In addition to his Lebanese citizenship, Nizar Zakka also holds U.S. residency and is an expert in information and communication technology. Iranian media reported his arrest on November 3 of last year. Prior to that, there were reports of this Lebanese citizen's disappearance after attending an information technology conference in Tehran on September 15, 2015, where he was invited by Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Iranian Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, to participate in 'the Second International Exhibition and Conference on Women's Role in Sustainable Development' on the topic of 'Entrepreneurship and Job Creation.' The Associated Press reported in late May that Nizar Zakka is the director of a non-profit organization called 'Ijmāʿ 3,' which had received a total of $730,000 from the U.S. government for projects related to Middle Eastern countries. The news agency did not clarify whether these projects were related to Iran. However, Nizar Zakka's supporters had previously written a letter to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, requesting the U.S. government to work for his release, stating that 'Nizar Zakka traveled to Iran with the knowledge and approval of the U.S. State Department, and his travel expenses were covered by U.S. financial aid.' In recent months, several dual citizens have been arrested and imprisoned in Iran. Nazanin Zaghari, a British-Iranian citizen, Homa Hoodfar, a Canadian-Iranian citizen, Reza Shahini, an Iranian-American citizen, and Siamak Namazi and his father Baqer Namazi, Iranian-American citizens, are among these individuals.