Lebanon’s head of General Security Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim made a visit to Tehran on August 7 and met with Lebanese detainee Nizar Zakka, who has been imprisoned in Iran since September 2015.
The visit offered a glimmer of hope for the Lebanese state and the family of the prisoner, as his case is finally discussed with the Iranian side, which had closed all communication lines related to Zakka over the past three years.
Ibrahim returned last week from Tehran, following a visit described as “private”, which lasted several days, during which he met with Iranian officials and managed to talk with Zakka in his prison, taking some pictures and asserting that his health condition was good.
Informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Ibrahim’s visit and meeting with Zakka “has opened a channel of communication with the Iranian side and paved the way for Iranian-Lebanese negotiations over the case.”
Zakka, originally from Qalamoun and holder of the US citizenship, is the Secretary General of the Arab Organization for Information and Communication (IJMA3), which includes organizations from all Arab countries, and works on the development of information and the elimination of the digital divide.
He was arrested in the capital, Tehran, in 2015, when he was responding to an official invitation from the Iranian Vice-President to take part in a lecture on awareness of the United Nations goals on sustainable development.
No clarification about his detention was released until the Iranian media announced that he was being held by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and that the latter accused him of “establishing ties with the US military and intelligence service”. An Iranian court sentenced him to 10 years in jail and a $4.2 million fine for dealing with “hostile” countries.
Zakka’s lawyer, Majed Dimashqia, said that Ibrahim’s visit “gave a good impression and paved the way for communication with the Iranian authorities to prepare for his release.”
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said: “There is no clear information about an Iranian promise to release him, but there are signs of leniency in this case that could lead to positive results.”
