Iran charges US resident with espionage
An Iranian court sentenced a Lebanese technician with American permanent residency to 10 years and $4.2 million for espionage charges, his lawyer said Tuesday.
LOS ANGELES, United States (Kurdistan24) – An Iranian court sentenced a Lebanese technician with American permanent residency to 10 years and $4.2 million for espionage charges, his lawyer said Tuesday.
In Iran’s latest crackdown on people with American ties, Nizar Zakka, an advocate for Internet freedom who had worked for the American government, had a closed-door trial in the Revolutionary Court, AP reported.
Zakka, 49, disappeared when he traveled to Iran last year and had his hearing after spending a year in the infamous Evin prison in Tehran.
He is the secretary-general of the Arab ICT Organization (also known as IJMA3) which allegedly received grants from the US to promote Information Technology (IT) in the Middle East.
Zakka spoke at a conference titled “ICT for Women’s Empowerment.”
Many high-ranked Iranian government officials attended the conference, including Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
According to a website created to campaign for Zakka’s release, he was taken into custody after the conference.
The American resident was boarding a plane to return to Beirut when he reportedly was arrested.
Zakka’s Washington-based lawyer, Jason Poblete, said his client “is innocent and being used as a political pawn.”
“We reject these sham proceedings and this verdict,” Poblete added.
Last year, Iran signed a deal with 5+1 world powers to put an end to its nuclear project in return for the removal of sanctions that had crippled its economy.
Among other dual nationals recently arrested by Iran are Homa Hoodfar, an Iranian-Canadian woman professor, and Siamak Namazi, an Iranian-American businessman who had advocated for closer ties between the two countries.
Additionally, Baquer Namazi, a former Iranian and UN official in his 80s who is the father of Siamak was also arrested.
Also, Robin Shahini, an Iranian-American was detained while visiting family, and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian woman, was sentenced to five years.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany