The case of Lebanese Nizar Zakka - detained in Tehran since 2015 – has finally come to an end, as the head of Lebanon's General Security, General Abbas Ibrahim, left for Iran on Sunday to bring him back home.
Zakka is expected to make his first statement from the presidential palace after meeting with President Michel Aoun.
The General Security said in a statement that Ibrahim left Beirut on Sunday afternoon, heading to Tehran to complete the efforts to release Zakka, while well-informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that negotiations were over, and procedures for his release from prison were being prepared.
The move came after the Iranian authorities informed Lebanon last week of their readiness to receive a Lebanese delegation at any time for the extradition of Zakka, after the decision to release him, “in response to a request by Aoun to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani.”
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Lawyer Majed Dimashqieh, Zakka’s attorney, said that his client was expected to arrive in Beirut within hours, while the sources of the General Security noted that the task would take between 24-48 hours, explaining that Ibrahim would meet during his visit with a number of Iranian officials.
Dimashqieh said that Zakka’s release “was the result of concerted efforts by Lebanese officials, headed by Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri… in addition to General Ibrahim.”
Zakka, a US permanent resident, is an advocate for internet freedom and has done some work for the US government. He has been imprisoned in Iran since his arrest in September 2015 while attending a state-sponsored conference.
He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in September 2016 and assessed a $4.2 million fine when a security court convicted him of espionage.
In 2017, Zakka went on a hunger strike for over a month calling for his release.
