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Nationality Lebanese (permanent resident of the U.S.) Occupation Secretary general of the Arab ICT Organization (IJMA3) | ||
March 21 2017 his excellency gebran bassil on the detention of nizar zakka
Nizar Zakka is a Lebanese information technology expert and advocate of Internet freedom. He is a permanent resident of the United States, where he served as secretary general of the Arab ICT Organization (IJMA3) in Washington, D.C..
Contents
- March 21 2017 his excellency gebran bassil on the detention of nizar zakka
- Mtv about nizar zakka
- Early life and education
- Arrest in Iran
- References
On September 18, 2015, Zakka disappeared in Iran after attending a conference in Tehran. In early November, Iranian media confirmed that Zakka was in custody on charges of being an American spy.
Mtv about nizar zakka
Early life and education
Nizar Zakka was born in Lebanon, and holds permanent-resident status in the U.S. He attended the Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia, for high school, graduating in 1985. He attended the University of Texas, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and mathematics in 1989 and a Master of Science in computer science in 1991.
Arrest in Iran
Zakka traveled to Tehran on September 15, 2015 to participate in a conference on entrepreneurship, at the invitation of the Iranian government. On September 18, he disappeared while on the way to the airport to leave the country. On October 31, 2015, the Beirut-based Daily Star reported that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) was holding Zakka.
On November 3, 2015, in the first official confirmation of his arrest, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said Zakka was in the custody of authorities on suspicion of being an American spy. IRIB described him as a "treasure trove" because of "connections with intelligence and military bodies in the United States." As evidence, Iranian state TV displayed a photo of Zikka in army-style fatigues, which Zakka's family identified from a homecoming parade he participated in as an alumnus of his military high school in Georgia.
Prior to his arrest in Iran, he was living in Washington, D.C., where he served as the secretary general of the Arab ICT Organization, known as IJMA3. Zakka’s family said they were "shocked by these false accusations" and stressed that he has no "relation with any military, security institution or secret services whatsoever."