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HELD FOR RANSOM: THE FAMILIES OF IRAN’S

HOSTAGES SPEAK OUT

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON 

THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

JULY 25, 2017

Serial No. 115–58

Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/ or

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/

(II)

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, Chairman 

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey 

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

JOE WILSON, South Carolina 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

TED POE, Texas 

DARRELL E. ISSA, California 

TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania 

JEFF DUNCAN, South Carolina 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

PAUL COOK, California 

SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania 

RON DESANTIS, Florida 

MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina 

TED S. YOHO, Florida 

ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois 

LEE M. ZELDIN, New York 

DANIEL M. DONOVAN, JR., New York 

F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., 

Wisconsin 

ANN WAGNER, Missouri 

BRIAN J. MAST, Florida 

FRANCIS ROONEY, Florida 

BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania 

THOMAS A. GARRETT, JR., Virginia 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

BRAD SHERMAN, California 

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York 

ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey 

GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia 

THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida 

KAREN BASS, California 

WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts 

DAVID N. CICILLINE, Rhode Island 

AMI BERA, California 

LOIS FRANKEL, Florida 

TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii 

JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas 

ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois 

BRENDAN F. BOYLE, Pennsylvania 

DINA TITUS, Nevada 

NORMA J. TORRES, California 

BRADLEY SCOTT SCHNEIDER, Illinois 

THOMAS R. SUOZZI, New York 

ADRIANO ESPAILLAT, New York 

TED LIEU, California

AMY PORTER, Chief of Staff THOMAS SHEEHY, Staff Director

JASON STEINBAUM, Democratic Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida, Chairman 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

DARRELL E. ISSA, California 

RON DESANTIS, Florida 

MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina 

PAUL COOK, California 

ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois 

LEE M. ZELDIN, New York 

DANIEL M. DONOVAN, JR., New York 

ANN WAGNER, Missouri 

BRIAN J. MAST, Florida 

BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania 

THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida 

GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia 

DAVID N. CICILLINE, Rhode Island 

LOIS FRANKEL, Florida 

BRENDAN F. BOYLE, Pennsylvania 

TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii 

BRADLEY SCOTT SCHNEIDER, Illinois 

THOMAS R. SUOZZI, New York 

TED LIEU, California 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

WITNESSES 

Mr. Douglas Levinson (son of Robert Levinson) ................................................... 6

Mr. Babak Namazi (son of Baquer Namazi, brother of Siamak Namazi) ........... 12

Mr. Omar Zakka (son of Nizar Zakka) .................................................................. 17

LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING 

Mr. Douglas Levinson: Prepared statement .......................................................... 9

Mr. Babak Namazi: Prepared statement ............................................................... 14

Mr. Omar Zakka: Prepared statement ................................................................... 20

APPENDIX 

Hearing notice .......................................................................................................... 32

Hearing minutes ...................................................................................................... 33

Mr. Douglas Levinson: Material submitted for the record ................................... 34

(1)

HELD FOR RANSOM: THE FAMILIES OF 

IRAN’S HOSTAGES SPEAK OUT 

TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2017

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA,

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS,

Washington, DC. 

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 3:00 p.m., in room 

2172 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen 

(chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. The committee will come to order. 

After recognizing myself and Ranking Member Deutch for 5 minutes each for our opening statements, I will then recognize any 

other members wishing recognition for 1 minute. We will then hear 

from our witnesses. We thank them for appearing before us today. 

Without objection, the witnesses prepared statements will be made 

a part of the record and members may have 5 days to insert statements and questions for the record subject to the length limitation 

in the rules. 

The Chair now recognizes herself for 5 minutes. 

On behalf of the ranking member and me, we wish that it was 

not necessary to conduct this hearing today. However, we believe 

that it is important to continue to elevate this matter as much as 

we can to ensure that we continue to advocate on behalf of U.S. 

citizens being unjustly held in Iran and ask questions about what 

our Government is doing to get your family members back home. 

Our witnesses today represent the families of four American hostages in Iran. Bob Levinson, a former U.S. Government employee 

and public servant for 33 years—we have his photo in a poster—

including at both the FBI and the DEA, and a constituent of our 

ranking member, Mr. Levinson was last seen on March 9, 2007; 

Siamak Namazi, a businessman who graduated from Tufts and 

Rutgers Universities, who founded a consulting firm focused on the 

risk of doing business in Iran and who was detained on October 15, 

2015; his father, Baquer Namazi, a former representative of the 

U.N. Children’s Fund, who was detained on February 22nd, 2016 

while trying to look into his son’s case; and Nizar Zakka, an information, communications, and technology development expert who 

was detained on September 18, 2015. 

In addition to these four men, we are aware of at least four other 

Americans being held in Iran, including three who were arrested 

last year and one who was detained just earlier this month. 

2

It is no easy task to testify before Congress, even more so when 

it is about a family member who is suffering and has been taken 

from you. And I know I speak on behalf of all members when I say 

that we are deeply appreciative of the witnesses appearing before 

us today. My heart broke as I read each one of your testimonies. 

The love and the pride that you have for your family members was 

so clearly evident, and I want you to know that all of us here are 

committed to doing everything in our power to get your loved ones 

home safely. 

This is unfortunately the second time in the last 3 years that our 

committee has held a hearing on Iran’s hostages, as we welcomed 

the Levinson family last time as well as three witnesses whose 

family members were eventually released as part of the nuclear 

deal with Iran, known as the JCPOA. Iran’s taking of hostages in 

exchange for political or financial concessions is by any definition 

morally and ethically abhorrent and completely outside the scope 

of international legal norms. 

I know that both the current and past administration have wanted to bring these Americans home and they have tried hard to find 

a solution when dealing with a regime that does not respect human 

rights or decency or the rule of law. But it is not enough. Without 

additional pressure on the Iranian regime and without a significant 

step up in the efforts of both the White House and the State Department, Iran will undoubtedly not only continue detaining those 

held today, but will take even more hostages in the future. 

The State Department and other relevant agencies must also intensify their efforts to keep in contact with the families of those 

being held every step of the way. Despite revisions to U.S. hostage 

policy in 2015, including the creation of a Family Engagement Coordinator, we continue to hear too many stories about the U.S. 

Government not keeping the families in the loop. The Hostage Response Group and the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell were also good 

steps forward and have had some successes, but we continue to see 

too many Americans being held for too long. 

Later this week, a resolution that I am proud to be leading with 

Ranking Member Deutch will be on the House floor. It calls for 

Iran’s unconditional release of Bob, of Siamak, of Baquer, and 

Nizar as well as any other U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident, 

or foreign national and urges the President to make their release 

the highest of priorities. And I have no doubt that it will pass overwhelmingly. 

But we need to see additional pressure and additional sanctions 

specifically against the Iranian individuals and entities responsible 

for detaining those family members, for taking hostages as a matter of policy, and for committing increasingly gross human rights 

abuses, so that Iran is finally forced to change its behavior and 

these Americans are released and brought home. We need to see 

an intense, concerted effort from both Congresses and this administration because this is a problem that is not going away. 

And with that I am pleased to yield to my good friend, the ranking member, Mr. Deutch of Florida. 

Mr. DEUTCH. Thank you, Madam Chairman. I want to thank you 

for holding this hearing today. You have been a champion for these 

families and the families of so many others who have been wrongVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:02 Sep 14, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\_MENA\072517\26426 SHIRL
3

fully held or imprisoned by rogue regimes. You have been a steadfast partner in advocating for the release of my constituent Bob 

Levinson and I am most grateful for your unwavering support. 

To Doug, Babak, and Omar, thank you for being here today to 

share the stories of your fathers and brother. None of us can imagine what your families go through every single day. Your testimony 

today will give this Congress and the American people a small window into the unimaginable reality that you face each day. 

Just last week we learned that Iran has taken another American 

citizen, convicted him in some undisclosed sham trial, and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. Hostage taking is not a game that 

responsible nations play. Iran’s outrageous disregard for international law should give every country, every company, especially 

every American company, pause as to whether this is a country 

they should welcome back into the community of nations. 

Siamak Namazi has been detained since November 2015. His father, Baquer, has been detained since February 2016. Baquer was 

detained at 80 years old, a mere 6 weeks after the deal that saw 

five Americans previously being held by Iran released in January 

of last year. His health unfortunately is poor. Neither were afforded due process, and this family has still not been made aware 

of the exact charges against them. This is not rule of law. This is 

hostage taking. 

Nizar Zakka is an internet freedom activist. He was invited to 

Iran to participate in a conference and was subsequently detained. 

Can you imagine, invited to a country and then arrested with no 

cause. Iran first acknowledged holding Nizar in November 3rd, 

2015. Like Siamak and the recently sentenced Xiyue Wang, Nizar 

has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. 

Bob Levinson has been missing for 10 years. Bob went missing 

from Kish Island, Iran, March 9, 2007. Bob and his wife Christine 

live in my district in Coral Springs, Florida. Bob is a patriot in 

every sense of the word. He devoted 28 years of his life to government service, first at the DEA and then 22 years at the FBI. I have 

come to know the Levinson family well over the past 7 years. 

Bob’s wife of over 40 years, Christine, is here today as well as 

Bob’s eldest son, Dan. Not here today are Bob’s five other children, 

Susan, Stephanie, Sarah, Samantha, and David. Sarah recently 

gave birth to Bob’s newest grandchild. He was born on July 4th, 

a date that certainly makes Bob proud. Last year, Bob’s namesake, 

3-year-old Bobby, underwent treatment for cancer, and just a few 

months ago Bob’s son, David, had his first child and the baptism 

is next week. 

Bob has missed all of these milestones. Imagine 10 years without 

your husband, your father, your grandfather. We will hear what 

that has been like from Doug, who was only 13 at the time Bob 

disappeared. No family should have to endure 10 years of unanswered questions, 10 years of watching others come home, and 10 

years of being left behind. 

I have sat in this room countless times over the years and talked 

about Bob, I have talked about him on the House floor, and I won’t 

stop talking about Bob. I won’t stop calling out Iran to once and 

for all send Bob home. Iran may claim they don’t know where Bob 

is, but they know how to find him and they know how to get him 

4

home. We need action. Bob can no longer be left behind, and today 

I would like you to hear directly from Bob. 

In 2010, the Levinsons received the video you are about to see. 

In it you will see Bob under duress, pleading for his country to help 

him, if we could play it. 

[Video shown.] 

Mr. DEUTCH. It is hard to watch, but it is important that the 

world see Bob, that they see more than a name in a newspaper article, that they see the husband, father, the grandfather, the American public servant. I implore this administration to make bringing 

Bob home a priority. And despite our policy disagreements with 

Iran, bringing home Bob, Siamak, Baquer and Nizar, and the other 

Americans detained in Iran must always be at the top of the agenda. 

Doug, Babak, Omar, I can only hope that by providing each of 

you a chance to tell your family’s story today we can send a message that the release of these Americans is a priority for this Congress, it is a priority for the American people, and we will not stop 

until they are home. And I yield back. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you, Mr. Deutch. And the Levinson 

family feels very blessed to have you as their representative, for always being a voice for Bob. I know that we didn’t catch the beginning part of that video. Is it possible to go back and—it seemed like 

it started in the middle. 

[Video shown.] 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you. And I think we got at the very 

beginning. Thank you so very much. Thank you. And now I would 

like to have members make their opening statements. We will start 

with Mr. Chabot of Ohio. 

Mr. CHABOT. Thank you, Madam Chair and Ranking Member 

Deutch for your continued dedication to this important issue. I 

know that you have both been, I kind of think, an inspiration to 

the rest of us on the committee for how doggedly you have taken 

this on and thank you for doing that. And I also want to express 

our sincere admiration for our witnesses here today, all three. Your 

willingness to testify on these abhorrent cases is a testament not 

only of your love for your family members but to your courage and 

tenacity in standing up for what is just and what is right. 

Mr. Levinson as we know is the longest-held U.S. civilian in 

American history and Iranian officials have done little to live up 

to their commitments to work through the cases to assist the 

United States to investigate Mr. Levinson’s disappearance. And 

Iran—I am almost out of time. Iran has continued to take people 

hostage. They took people before the agreement with Iran and they 

have taken people since then. 

So it seems nothing has worked to change the way they value 

human life. It is a terrible situation and to have a loved one outside your family under the circumstances you have is just something that no human being should have to be under those circumstances, and this is on Iran. I yield back. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you so much, Mr. Chabot. 

Mr. Schneider of Illinois. 

Mr. SCHNEIDER. Thank you, and I too want to join in commending the chairman and the ranking member for holding this 

5

hearing. And to each of you, thank you for being here for sharing 

your story. I first had the privilege of sitting in this chair 41⁄2 years 

ago, and it was then that I first heard my colleague from Florida, 

Mr. Deutch, so eloquently speak on behalf Robert Levinson. I have 

heard him speak many, many times. 

I was not here when the deal with Iran was consummated and 

some of the hostages were brought home but Mr. Levinson was left 

behind. I am greatly honored and fortunate to be back in this seat 

and quite honestly stunned that we are still having to speak out 

and call for the return of Robert Levinson. But here we are. And 

I want to thank my colleague, Ted, for your continued passion and 

eloquent words. We will continue to fight for this. Thanks to Doug, 

to Babak, and Omar. Your presence here is a reflection of our commitment and we will be here until your fathers, your brother, come 

home. Thank you. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you, Mr. DeSantis, I mean Mr. 

Schneider. Mr. DeSantis of Florida. 

Mr. DESANTIS. Well, I thank the chairman and thank the ranking member for keeping the American people apprised of this issue. 

We had a deal with Iran. We sent billions of dollars, even a billion 

seven in cash. I know we got some people back. We did not get everybody back and we need to do that. This is a maniacal regime. 

They are fomenting all kinds of problems all across the Middle 

East. They are a stalwart enemy of this country and I would just 

urge the President, lean in on this issue. Put some pressure on 

them. Do what we can do. We are the strongest country in the 

world, we have got to be able to get our people back. 

And I know there is a lot of stuff that goes on behind the scenes, 

but boy, I would love to see something public, strong, and swift and 

I would love to see these people back. I yield back. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you, Mr. DeSantis. 

Mr. Zeldin of New York. 

Mr. ZELDIN. Well, thank you Madam Chair and to the ranking 

member as well for your leadership on this issue, this hearing, 

which is called the Families of Iran’s Hostages Speak Out, hopefully will be part of a better way forward of America speaking out 

because these families need this administration, need the American 

people to be fully behind them in this effort. We gave $1.7 billion ransom payment in cash to Iranians at the 

same exact time of securing a release of some unjustly imprisoned 

Americans. The administration said it wasn’t a ransom. Some suggested it was a coincidence. Some said we owed them the money. 

Everything in this story is highly and easily disputable based off 

of facts. One of those facts also is that not everyone has come home 

and Iran has continued its bad activities. 

So thank you again to the chair for hosting this hearing and 

hopefully it will inspire our country to do more to speak out to 

bring your families home and to ensure this doesn’t happen again 

with better policies going forward. I yield back. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Amen. Thank you, Mr. Zeldin. 

And now we would like to introduce our witnesses. Honored to 

welcome Doug Levinson, Doug as you know is the youngest son of 

Robert Levinson. He was only 13 when his father, Bob, went missing in Iran. I have had the pleasure, we all have, of having met 

6

with him many, many times about his father’s case. He works here 

on the Hill for the office of our good friend, Senator Bob Menendez 

of New Jersey. 

Thank you, Doug, for your persistent efforts. Thank you for being 

with us today. We look forward to your testimony. 

And next we would like to welcome Babak Namazi. Mr. Namazi’s 

father Bakar Namazi and brother Siamak Namazi were sentenced 

to prison in 2016 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps under 

trumped up charges. Babak has been working relentlessly to free 

his father and his brother. 

Thank you, Babak, for joining us in this important hearing 

today. I have had the pleasure of meeting you at various times 

along with your attorney. We look forward to hearing your testimony. 

Finally, we would like to welcome Omar Zakka. Omar is the son 

of Nizar Zakka who was arrested, as you had heard, while attending a women’s conference in Tehran in 2015. Nizar was sentenced 

in closed-door trial to 10 years in an Iranian prison. Nizar has engaged in multiple hunger strikes during his imprisonment which 

has put his health in an unstable condition. His son Omar has 

been working also tirelessly to secure the release of his father. 

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today, Omar, and 

we very much look forward to your testimony. 

As I had said, your written testimony has been made a part of 

the record. Please feel free to summarize your statements and then 

we will begin our question and answer period. We will begin with 

you, Mr. Levinson. 

STATEMENT OF MR. DOUGLAS LEVINSON (SON OF ROBERT 

LEVINSON) 

Mr. LEVINSON. Thank you. Madam Chairwoman, Ranking Member, and distinguished members of this committee, thank you for 

inviting me to testify before you today. My name is Doug Levinson. 

I am the youngest child of Robert and Christine Levinson. What 

you just saw was the last known video of my father who disappeared from Iran’s Kish Island on March 9, 2007. That was 

3,791 days ago. Bob Levinson, or Dad as my six siblings and I call 

him, is the longest-held hostage in American history. 

The Iranian Government has never officially recognized arresting 

my father, but just 3 weeks after he went missing an Iranian statesanctioned media outlet called PressTV reported that he was ‘‘in 

the hands of Iranian security forces and could be freed in a matter 

of days.’’ Our family also received documents indicating that he 

was arrested by local authorities on Kish Island. I would like to 

submit these articles——

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Without objection. 

Mr. LEVINSON [continuing]. Into the record. Thank you. 

Iran has repeatedly changed their story from asking what he was 

doing there to denying he was ever there at all. The hostage video 

you saw was made to look as if he was being held by some radical 

extremist group. Don’t be fooled. The U.S. Government officials believe that is a ruse. Iran is responsible and they know exactly 

where he is. 

7

Over the past 10 years, Dad has missed three of his children’s 

weddings, two high school graduations, and three college graduations, including myself, and too many birthdays and major milestones to count. He has five grandchildren he has never met. They 

know their Grandpa Bob through the stories we tell them and they 

pray each night to one day meet him. Bobby, who was named after 

his Grandpa Bob, is currently in remission from stage II 

lymphoma. He is only 3 years old. But with all that Dad has 

missed over the past 10 years, the most devastating part is that 

Bob Levinson has been left behind by the U.S. Government time 

after time after time and we cannot let that happen again. 

With me today is my mother Christine who has fought every single day of these past 10 years to rescue the love of her life. My parents should be enjoying their empty nest, visiting their grandchildren, and traveling the world like they had promised. Instead, 

my mom’s first trip outside of the United States was to Iran to retrace my father’s footsteps. Words cannot describe what an honor 

it is to be the child of Bob and Christine Levinson. [Applause.] 

Mr. LEVINSON. Also here with me today is my older brother Dan 

who testified before this committee 2 years ago alongside the families of Jason Rezaian, Saeed Abedini, and Amir Hekmati. Just 6 

months after that testimony all three were released as part of the 

JCPOA, but our father was left behind and we had to find out from 

watching the news just like everyone else. Let me repeat that. My 

mother found out because my sister called her after seeing it on 

television. No one from the United States Government had the decency to give us an advanced warning that this was happening. 

Devastated does not even come close to what we felt that day. 

My family received the hostage video that you saw, earlier in 2010, 

years after many in the government wrote him off for dead. We received this photo and others like it in 2011. 

Bob Levinson has devoted his life to two things, providing unwavering love to his wife and family and protecting America by 

putting away the bad guys. Dad worked for the FBI for 22 years 

and 6 years in the DEA before that. He was working for the U.S. 

Government when he was taken and therefore the United States 

Government has a moral obligation to bring him home. 

Just last year, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary 

Detention ruled that Iran is responsible for my father’s arrest and 

declared that they must acknowledge and return him home immediately. The U.N. has been more forceful on securing my father’s 

return than the government that sent him there. 

I was only 13 years old when my father was kidnapped. He is 

my best friend. He is everything I wish I could be. Four days before 

he was kidnapped my father wrote me an email. This is what it 

said: Monday, March 5, 2007. Dear Dud, I hope you miss me as 

much as I miss you. 

I didn’t see his message until March 11th, the day after we 

learned something was wrong. As a scared and terrified 13-year-old 

boy who had just been told his father was missing, I sent him a 

message back. Sunday, March 11, 2007. Hi Daddy, it is March 11th 

and I just got your email. Everyone is looking for you. Dad, I want 

to let you know that I love you so much and please come back 

8

home safe and sound. I love you, Dad, so much. Please respond 

back. I am so scared. Please come home. 

The last time I saw him I was about 5 foot 4 inches. Today I 

stand 6 feet 4 inches tall, the same height as Dad when he left. 

I have always wanted to follow in his footsteps, but I never thought 

that I would be wearing a pair of his shoes while testifying in front 

of Congress. I will be honest, they are still a little bit big, but the 

blisters that I get on my heel remind me of the service and the sacrifice that the man they belong to gave to this country. 

His service inspired me to move to DC last year and to take a 

job working on foreign policy for a senior member of the Senate 

Foreign Relations Committee. I know the weight that this committee holds and while I am honored to be here, this is the second 

time we have had to do this. This is the second time we have had 

to testify on my father’s behalf. We pray there will not need to be 

a third. 

Finally, I am here today with three goals. First, to make sure 

that my father is not forgotten. We are desperate. We have endured the turnover of three administrations. We have met with 

anybody and everybody that will listen. We don’t know what else 

we can possibly do. 

Second, we are here to get on the record that the United States 

Government has repeatedly failed my father and my family. Year 

after year we have witnessed the United States administration officials fail to make my father the priority he needs to be. We are 

hopeful with this new administration, but we have heard these 

same promises before. We need action. We have watched at least 

ten Americans who have been captured and released by Iran since 

my father was taken 10 years ago. Ten. That is ten families who 

have been reunited with their loved ones. That is ten times that 

my father has been left behind, one for each year he has been gone. 

And third, we are here to ask for your help. Please, hold the 

United States and the Iranian Governments accountable for bringing Bob Levinson home. Please, be relentless in pursuing all options and pushing this administration to resolve this case as quickly as possible. And please, do not let Iran off the hook. They have 

been allowed to do whatever they want because there have been no 

consequences. They have avoided my father’s case for years. They 

know what happened to Bob Levinson and they can send him 

home, but they choose not to. 

In our experience, the Iranians only respond to pressure. Hold 

their feet to the fire. Threaten them with sanctions. Do anything. 

Do something. The excruciating pain of not knowing, the fear that 

we haven’t done enough, and the thought that the United States 

Government has failed to rescue my father thus far is demoralizing. My father Bob Levinson is an American hero. He is a patriot. Please help us finally bring him home. As he said in that hostage video in 2010, 33 years of service deserves something. Please 

help us. Thank you. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Levinson follows:]

9


26426a-1.eps

Douglas Levinson 

Written Testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee 

Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa 

July 25th, 2017 

Madame Chairlvoman, Ranking Member, and distinguished members of this committee, 

Thank you for inviting me to testify today. My name is Doug Levinson. I am the youngest child 

of Robert and Christine Levinson. \Vhat you just saw was the last knovm video of my father, 

who disappeared from Iran's Kish Island on March 9th, 2007. That was 3, 791 days ago. 

Bob Levinson, or "Dad" as my six siblings and I call him, is the longest held hostage in 

American history. 

The Iranian government has never officially acknowledged arresting my father. But just three 

weeks after he went missing, an Iranian state-sanctioned media outlet called Press TV reported 

that he was "in the hands of Iranian security forces" and could be "freed in a matter of days." 

Our family also received documents indicating that he was arrested by local authorities on Kish 

Island. I'd like to submit the Press TV article and these documents for the record. 

Iran has repeatedly changed their story, from asking what he was doing there to denying he was 

ever there at all. The hostage video you saw was made to look as if he's being held by some 

radical extremist group. Don't be fooled, US officials believe that's a fa.;:ade. Iran is responsible, 

and they know exactly where he is. 

Over the past ten years, Dad has missed three of his children's weddings, two high school 

graduations, three college graduations, and too many birthdays and major milestones to count. 

He has five grandchildren he's never met They know their Grandpa Bob through the stories we 

tell them, and they pray each night to one day meet him. Bobby, who was named after his 

Grandpa Bob, is currently in remission from Stage 2 Lymphoma. He's only three years old. 

But with all that Dad has missed over the past ten years, the most devastating part is that Bob 

Levinson has been left behind by the U.S. Government time after time after time. And we cannot 

let it happen again. 

With me today is my mother, Christine, who has fought every single day of these ten years to 

rescue the love of her life. My parents should be enjoying their empty nest, visiting their 

grandchildren, and traveling the world like they had planned. Instead, my mom's first trip 

outside of the United States was to Iran to retrace my father's footsteps. Words cannot describe 

what an honor it is to be their son. 

Also here is my older brother Dan, who testified before this committee two years ago alongside 

the families of Jason Rezaian, Saeed Abedini, and Amir Hekmati. Just six months after that 

testimony, all three were released as part of the JCPOA. But our father was left behind, and we 

found out from watching the news just like everyone else. Let me say that again, my mother 

found out because my sister called her after seeing it on TV. No one from the United States 
10


26426a-2.eps

Government had the decency to give us advanced warning. Devastating does not even come 

close to describe the pain that we felt that day. 

My family received the hostage video that you saw a few minutes ago in 2010, years after many 

in the government wrote him off for dead. We received this photo and others like it in 2011. 

Bob Levinson has devoted his life to two things: providing unwavering love to his w·ife and 

family, and protecting America by putting the "bad guys" away Dad worked for the FBl for 22 

years, and for the DEA 6 years before that. He was working for the US Government when he 

was taken and the U.S. therefore has a moral obligation to bring him home. 

Just last year, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions ruled that Iran is 

responsible for my father's arrest, and declared that they must acknowledge and return him 

immediately. The UN has been more forceful on securing his return than his own government 

that sent him there. 

I was only thir1een years old when my father vvas kidnapped. He was my best friend. He is 

everything 1 wished 1 could be. Four days before he was kidnapped, my father wrote me an 

email. This is what it said 

")!Jmulay. kfarch 5th 21107. 

Hello, Duddy Dud! 

l hope you miss me as much u.~ l mk~ you. 

Love, 

Father of 

Duddy J. Dudminster'' 

I didn't see his message until March llth, the day after we learned something was wrong. As a 

scared 13-year old boy who had just been told his father was missing, I sent him a message back: 

"Sunday, Afarch 11th, 2007. 

Hi Daddy .. Jt is .'If arch lith and lju.~t got your enwil. Everyone is looking for you, even the 

FBI! Daddy I want to let you know that I love you so much and please come back home safe 

and.sountlllove you Daddy so much. Please respond back. Please Dad J'm .m .~cared Please 

come home. 

LoPe, 
11


26426a-3.eps

The Roa.~ted Baby'' 

The last time I saw him, I was about 5-foot-4 Today, I stand 6 feet 4 inches tall, the same height 

as Dad when he left. 

I've always wanted to follow in his footsteps, but 1 never thought that 1 would be wearing a pair 

of his shoes while testifying in front of Congress. I'll be honest: they are still little bit big. But 

the blisters I get on my heels remind me of the service and sacrifice that the man they belong to 

gave to his country. 

His service inspired me to move to DC last year and take a job working on foreign policy for a 

senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I know the weight that this 

committee holds, and while I'm honored to be here, this is the second time we have to testify on 

our father's behalf. We pray there will not need to be a third. 

Finally, I'm here today with three goals. First: To make sure my father is not forgotten. We are 

desperate. We have endured the turnover of three administrations. We have met with anybody 

and everybody that will listen. We don't know what else we can possibly do. 

Second We're here to get on the record that the United States government has repeatedly failed 

my father and my family. Year after year, we've ''itncsscd U.S. administration otTicials fail to 

make my father the priority that he needs to be. We are hopeful with this new administration, but 

we've heard these promises before. We need action. 

We have watched at least 10 Americans who have been captured and released by lran since my 

father was taken ten years ago. That's 10 families who have been reunited with their loved ones. 

That's 10 times that my father has been left behind- one for each year he's been gone. 

And third, we're here to ask for your help. Please, hold both the US and Iranian governments 

accountable for bringing Bob Levinson home. Please be relentless in pursuing this administration 

to resolve this case as quickly as possible. 

And please do not let Iran off of the hook They've been allowed to do what they want and have 

avoided our father's case for years because there are no consequences. They know what has 

happened to Bob Levinson and they can send him home- but they choose not to. 1n our 

experience, the Iranians only respond to pressure. Hold their feet to the fire, threaten them with 

sanctions, do anything- do something. 

The excruciating pain of not knowing, the fear that we haven't done enough, and the thought that 

the U.S. Government has failed to rescue my father all of these years is demoralizing. 

My father, Bob Levinson, is an American hero. He is a patriot. Please help us finally bring him 

home. As he said when he pleaded for help in 2010 33 years of service deserves something. 

Please help us. 
12

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you, excellent testimony, heartfelt 

and insightful. Thank you so much, Mr. Levinson. 

Mr. Nimazi? 

STATEMENT OF MR. BABAK NAMAZI (SON OF BAQUER NAMAZI, 

BROTHER OF SIAMAK NAMAZI) 

Mr. NAMAZI. Madam Chair. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. You could put the microphone a little bit 

closer to you. 

Mr. NAMAZI. Madam Chair, is that better? 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Just a little bit. Why don’t you hold it a little 

bit closer to you. 

Mr. NAMAZI. Madam Chair and distinguished members of the 

subcommittee, 651 days ago on October 13, 2015, my brother 

Siamak Namazi was arrested and detained in Iran by the Iranian 

Revolutionary Guard Corps and has been held at a notorious Evin 

Prison. 

In January 2016, five American hostages were released from 

prison in Iran. To my family’s shock and horror, my brother was 

not released. We were given different explanations of the inexplicable, but felt reassured to learn that Secretary of State John 

Kerry had been promised by Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif that 

Siamak would be released within weeks of the other hostages’ release. When he was not, my family was devastated. 

But things only got worse from there. Instead of releasing my 

brother, on February 22nd, 2016, my father Baquer Namazi was 

lured back to Iran from a brief trip abroad by the promise of seeing 

Siamak, but instead he was also detained. On October 17, 2016, 

without any evidence or respect for the their rights of due process, 

my father and brother were each summarily tried, convicted, and 

sentenced to 10 years in prison for collusion with a hostile government. They remain in Evin Prison today. 

It is important to emphasize this latter point because Foreign 

Minister Zarif claimed last week in an interview with CBS News 

that my father was not behind bars, implying he had been transferred to house arrest. This is just not true. My father and brother 

have been and continue to be subjected to unimaginable suffering 

including spending part of their confinement in solitary cells. 

My father is 81 years old and has a severe heart condition that 

requires medication and may shortly require a pacemaker. He has 

lost more than 30 pounds and suffers dizziness, shortness of 

breath, and headaches. In the last few months, he has been twice 

hospitalized for a week at a time which only makes us more concerned about his well-being, especially as the IRGC never told our 

father or our family what was wrong with him after such hospitalization and no records were given to the family. It is obvious 

that his condition, both physical and mental, is rapidly deteriorating. My father’s prison sentence is a death sentence. 

My brother is a strong man, but I fear he has given up hope. His 

detention conditions are truly horrific. He has been kept in isolation for long periods of time. For the majority of his detention he 

was forced to sleep on a concrete floor because they gave him no 

bed and held him in solitary confinement for most of the time. 

Though Siamak will not talk about it, he has been tortured by the 

13

IRGC with beatings and tasing and psychological torment as prison 

guards having told him my father is in dire health and only telling 

him the truth days later. 

The IRGC has ripped my family in half, and for those of us left 

behind we worry all the time about whether my father and Siamak 

will survive. We don’t yet see a way through this suffering to their 

liberation. I don’t understand why Foreign Minister Zarif would 

claim my father is now under house arrest when he clearly isn’t. 

For the Iranian Government to present this false claim to the 

international community makes a mockery of my family’s pain by 

having given us a moment of hope that at least a little of our suffering might be ameliorated, only to see it dashed when the truth 

becomes clear that it hadn’t happened. 

I cannot digest the inhumanity and cruelty that my family is exposed to on a daily basis. My family is very grateful that the 

United Nations where my father worked for many years is highly 

engaged. It has been very heartening to see Secretary-General 

Guterres engage at the highest levels with the Iranian Government 

following up on Secretary-General Ban’s engagement. And Tony 

Lake, the head of UNICEF, has been incredibly focused on pressing 

Iran to release my father as well as hundreds of my father’s 

UNICEF colleagues. 

We are also very grateful for ongoing assistance provided by 

President Trump and his administration on our behalf. It is clear 

by both the public statements and private actions that the President is very focused on securing the release of my family and other 

American citizen hostages in Iran. We desperately need that help 

and support to secure my father and brother’s release. While I am 

not qualified to say what specifically would be most effective to secure the release of my family, I urge the President and Congress 

to spare no efforts and to do whatever is necessary to save my father and brother and to save them quickly. 

I would also be remiss if I did not thank Chairwoman RosLehtinen for having originally sponsored House Resolution 317 

with Representatives Lowey, Poe, and Deutch, and all other cosponsors. It is heartening to see such strong bipartisan support and 

my family is so grateful that this subcommittee unanimously 

adopted the resolution. I hope the full House of Representatives 

will take up the resolution as soon as possible. 

Finally, I turn my attention to speaking publicly to the Government of Iran. In short, my father and brother have done nothing 

wrong and are innocent. Foreign Minister Zarif said last week at 

the Council on Foreign Relations that he is willing to address this 

humanitarian problem from a humanitarian perspective. I pray 

that he finds a way and that these are not just empty words. They 

must be released urgently and on humanitarian grounds before it 

is too late. 

I have been reassured so many times by well-meaning individuals to be patient and that my family just needs to hold on, but 

patience isn’t a virtue that I can have when I see my father and 

brother’s physical and mental health deteriorate so much and at an 

increasing rate of speed. Please help me bring my father and brother home. I am losing my entire family. We are simply running out 

of time. Thank you. 

14

[The prepared statement of Mr. Namazi follows:]


26426b-1.eps

House Foreign Affairs Committee 

Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa 

"Held for Ransom: The Families oflran's Hostages Speak Out" 

Testimony ofBabak Namazi 

July 25, 2016 

Madam Chair and distinguished members of the Subcommittee, six hundred and fifty-one 

days ago, on October 13, 2015, my brother, Siamak Namazi, was arrested and detained in 

Iran by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (the IRGC) at the notorious Evin Prison. 

ln January 2016, five American hostages were released from prison in Iran. To my 

family's shock and horror, my brother was not released. We were given different 

explanations of the inexplicable, but felt reassured to learn that Secretary of State John 

Kerry had been promised by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarifthat 

Siamak would be released within weeks of the other hostages. When he was not, my 

family was devastated. 

But things only got worse from there. Instead of releasing my brother, on February 22, 

2016, my father, Baquer Namazi, was lured back to lran from a brief trip abroad by the 

promise of seeing Siamak, but was instead was also detained. 

On October 17, 2016, without any evidence or respect for their rights of due process, my 

father and brother were each summarily tried, convicted, and sentenced to ten years in 

prison for "collusion with an enemy state." They remain in Evin Prison today. lt is 

important to emphasize this latter point because Foreign Minister Zarif claimed last week 

in an interview with CBS News that my father Baquer was "not behind bars," implying 

he had been transferred to house arrest. This is just not true. 

My father and brother have been and continue to be subjected to unimaginable suffering 

including spending part of his confinement in solitary cell. My father is 81-years-old, 

and has a severe heart condition that requires medication and may shortly require a 

pacemaker. He has lost more than 30 pounds and suffers dizziness, shortness of breath, 

and headaches. In the last few months, he has twice been hospitalized for a week at a 

time, which only makes us more concerned about his well-being, especially as the IRGC 

never told father or our family what is wrong with him after such hospitalization and no 

records were given to the family. It obvious that his condition, both physical and mental, 

is rapidly deteriorating. My father's prison sentence is a death sentence. 

My brother is a strong man, but I fear he has given up hope. His detention conditions are 

truly horrific. He has been kept in isolation for long periods of time. For the majority of 
15


26426b-2.eps

his detention, he was forced to sleep on a concrete floor because they gave him no bed 

and held in solitary confinement. Though Siamak will not talk about it, he has been 

regularly tortured by the IRGC with beatings and lazing, and psychological torment such 

as the prison guards having told him my father is in dire health and only telling him the 

truth days later. 

The IRGC has ripped my family in halt~ and for those of us left behind, we worry all the 

time about whether my father and Siamak will survive. We don't yet see a way through 

this sutiering to their liberation. I don't understand why Foreign Minister Zarifwould 

claim my father is now under house arrest, when he clearly isn't. For the Iranian 

government to present this false claim to the international community makes a mockery 

of my family's pain by having given us a moment of hope that at least a little of our 

suffering might be ameliorated, only to see it dashed when the truth became clear that it 

hadn't happened. I cannot digest the inhumanity and cruelty that my family is exposed to 

on a daily basis. 

My family is very grateful that the United Nations, where my father worked for many 

years, is highly engaged. It has been very heartening to see Secretary-General Guterres 

engage at the highest levels with the Iranian government, following up on SecretaryGeneral Ban's engagement. And Tony Lake, the head of UNICEF, has been incredibly 

focused on pressing Iran to release my father as well. 

We are also very grateful for ongoing assistance provided by President Trump and his 

administration on our behalf. It is clear by both the public statements and private actions 

that the President is very focused on securing the release of my family and other 

American citizen hostages in Iran. We desperately need that help and support to secure 

my father and brother's release. While I am not qualified to say what specifically would 

be most effective to secure the release of my family, I urge the President and Congress to 

spare no effort and to do whatever is necessary to save my father and brother and to save 

them quickly. 

I also would be remiss if I did not thank Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen for having originally 

sponsored House Resolution 317 with Reps. Lowey, Poe, and Deutch, and all the other 

co-sponsors. lt is heartening to see such strong bipartisan support and my family is so 

grateful that this Subcommittee unanimously adopted the resolution. I hope the full 

House of Representatives will take up the resolution as soon as possible. 

Finally, I tum my attention to speaking publicly to the Government of Iran. In short, my 

father and brother have done nothing wrong and are innocent. Foreign Minister Zarif 

said last week at the Council on Foreign Relations that he is willing "to address this 

humanitarian problem from a humanitarian perspective." I pray that he finds a way and 

not these are not just empty words. They must be released urgently and on humanitarian 

grounds before it is too late. 

I have been reassured so many times by well-meaning individuals to be patient and that 

my family just needs to hold on. But patience isn't a virtue that I can have when I see my 

2 
16


26426b-3.eps

father and brother's physical and mental health deteriorate so much and at an increasing 

rate of speed. 

Please help me bring my father and brother home. Tam losing my entire family. We are 

simply running out of time. 
17

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you so much and thank you for referencing our bill which we hope will be on the House floor for passage tomorrow afternoon, late afternoon. 

Mr. NAMAZI. Thank you, Madam. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. And of course it calls for the release of all of 

your family members. Thank you. 

Mr. NAMAZI. Thank you. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Zakka, thank you so much. 

STATEMENT OF MR. OMAR ZAKKA (SON OF NIZAR ZAKKA) 

Mr. ZAKKA. Good afternoon. My name is Omar Zakka. I am the 

youngest of Nizar Zakka’s three sons. My brothers are Nadim and 

Kareem, and I am speaking on the family’s behalf. We are residents in Washington, DC, also have family in Texas. 

My father wanted me to be sure that I thanked all of you ladies 

and gentlemen of the Congress, the representatives of the American people. Thank you for defending human rights as well as calling attention to my father’s plight and, as my father reminded us 

many times before, the plight of other innocent people, Americans 

and those from many other countries being held in hostage in Iran. 

I know that my dad appreciates how you have stressed the particular obligation that the United States has in securing his release 

as well as the release of other U.S. persons held in Iran. 

When the Iranians abducted my father, I had not even graduated 

high school. At the time, I was following in my father’s footsteps. 

I was a cadet second lieutenant at my father’s alma mater, the Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia. Like other cadets, 

I was trying to learn accountability by working and leading my 

peers during a challenging time in my life. I had hopes and dreams 

and still do. I thought I would be in some state college right now 

doing what any 19-year-old would be doing. Sitting here in Congress was the farthest thing from my mind. However, my dad’s 

close to 2-year ordeal has taught so much about the importance of 

life, family, and friends. 

Today is the 30th day of my dad’s latest hunger strike. His will, 

as I said, as strong as ever. My dad is innocent and as he says will 

not be forced to do things against his will including signing forced 

confessions. 

Even though I was hardly aware or even appreciated the scope 

of my father’s work at the time, I knew enough to be a very proud 

son. All of my brothers are very proud of him. Our dad is truly a 

great man, maybe a better man than I will ever be. My dad has 

devoted his life for humanitarian and development work, in other 

words helping others. My dad used his computer science and mathematics degree from Texas University, and his talents, to help others in the ICT field. 

My father believes in the power of information as well as technology, and how it can help other communities that the world has 

neglected and left behind. I have never known him to even have 

a political standpoint as all along he proclaimed to be a law-abiding 

citizen of the world and does not advocate for any party, group, or 

government. To help advance his mission, he founded and managed 

a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, IJMA3 USA, with offices right 

here in Washington, DC. 

18

My father, Nizar Zakka, was invited by Iranian Vice President, 

Mrs. Molaverdi, to attend in September 2015 in Tehran a conference on Women in Sustainable Development Entrepreneurship 

& Employment. I will repeat this because it is so important. My 

dad had an official invitation from a senior Iranian official and an 

Iranian visa. In her invitation letter to my dad, Mrs. Molaverdi 

said that she wanted my dad to speak in Iran because of his countless knowledge, valuable experience, and deep creativeness. Yet despite these nice-sounding words, after the conference my dad was 

kidnapped on his way to the airport. Since then, he has been detained and held against his will at the notorious Evin Prison. This 

is why my dad has said throughout this ordeal that he was invited 

and kidnapped. 

I was not alive, of course, the first time Iranians took Americans 

hostages in 1979, so this is the first time in my short years that 

I have heard anything like this. So I decided to research about it, 

found nothing. This is baffling. It seems as if this is the first time 

anyone, much less an ICT expert, is invited by a government as a 

guest then gets kidnapped by that same government. Taking innocent people hostage is not what civilized governments do. This is 

why we have repeatedly urged the unconditional release of my dad. 

To his captors in Iran: Please let my dad go. My dad was in Iran 

as your guest, why do you treat him this way? 

It has been 2 years since my father was stolen away from our 

family. It has been a rough time. In addition to the bad things that 

have been done to him in Evin, his mother, our grandmother, died 

last year and my dad was not able to say goodbye to her. We talked 

about these things since I have had the privilege to speak to him 

on the phone. His voice and tone alone have made me feel the suffering he has had to endure to this point. 

These 2 years have done so much damage to him physically that 

I would never wish this upon anyone in the world. All of this pain 

and suffering has led my dad to his fifth hunger strike. Why, because he tells me and my brothers that we do not put our heads 

down for anyone. My dad said that he would rather die for his 

cause than live with injustice. He told me it is about liberty or 

death. He did not say whether he was quoting the famous American Patrick Henry, but he has been inspired throughout his whole 

life about the American experience of liberty and freedom. 

My father has been called a prisoner of conscience. This is very 

difficult for me to say, but as my dad has said, again, he would 

rather die than succumb to his captors. Even in Evin Prison, in his 

own way, my dad thinks of other prisoners and what they are 

going through including some who have family here today. To these 

families, I know my dad, and if he can I know that he will do all 

he can in his power to help your loved ones get out as well. 

This is his 30th day on hunger strike. I fear for his life and safety. My dad spoke to me briefly this morning. He said he knows that 

Americans stand for liberty and freedom and that they won’t let 

him down. You may not be aware that my dad is a horseman. He 

said today he is no longer feeling hunger, but rather severe, excruciating colic pain tearing him from inside, exactly similar to what 

a horse feels when he is severely sick. 

19

Please, I plead with you, the American people, the people from 

our ancestral homeland, Lebanon, please do not let my father die 

in Iran. We ask anyone in a position to do so to please help my 

brothers and I be reunited with our father. Thank you very much 

for this special opportunity. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Zakka follows:]

20


26426c-1.eps

Prepared Remarks of Mr. Omar Zakka Before the United States Congress 

House Foreign Affairs Committee 

Subcommittee on Middle East & North Africa 

2172 Rayburn House Office Building 

25 July 2017 

Prepared Remarks- Check Against Delivery 

Good afternoon My name is Omar Zakka. I am youngest of Nizar Zakka's three sons. 

We have a home in Washington, DC. I also have an uncle who lives in Texas. 

My father wanted me to be sure to, first and foremost, to thank all of you, ladies and 

gentlemen of the Congress. You are the representatives of the American people. Thank 

you for defending human rights and calling attention to my father's plight and, as my 

father has reminded me and our family many times before, the plight of other fellow 

innocent people, Americans and from many other countries, being held hostage in Iran. 

Our family appreciates all the efforts of Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking 

Member Ted Deutch, indeed, all members of this Committee including Chairman Ed 

Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel, as well as Senators who have supported my 

dad such as Senator Ted Cruz, for standing for the defense of fundamental liberties 

around the world. I know that my dad appreciates how you have stressed the 

"particular obligation" that the United States has in securing his release, as well as 

the release of other U.S. persons held hostage in Iran. 

When the Iranians abducted my father, I had not even graduated high school. At the 

time, I was following in my father's footsteps. I was a cadet second lieutenant, at my 

father's alma mater, the Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia. Like other 

cadets, I was trying to learn accountability, by working and leading my peers during a 

challenging time in my life. 

I had hopes and dreams, and still do. I thought I'd be in some state college right now 

doing what any 19 year old would be doing. Sitting here in the Congress was the 

farthest thing from my mind. However, my dad's close to two-year ordeal has taught me 

so much about the importance of life, family, and friends My dad's ordeal, is a reminder 

that we must prepare for life challenges, because from one day to the next, things can 

and, will, change. 

I have thought a lot lately about Riverside's motto, Sound Mind in a Sound Body. It 

did not really mean all that much to me back then. It does now. For while my dad is of a 

strong and sound mind, he is fighting for his liberty. indeed, his life. This week marks 

five weeks of hunger strike. His body may be weak, but his will, as I said. as strong as 

ever. My dad is innocent and, as he says, wil! not be forced to do things against his will, 

including signing forced confessions. 

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26426c-2.eps

Even though I was hardly aware, or really appreciated the scope of my father's work at 

the time, I knew enough to be a very proud son. All of my brothers are very proud of 

him. Our dad is truly a great man, maybe a better man than I'll ever be. My dad has 

devoted his life for humanitarian and development work. In other words, helping others. 

My dad used his Computer Science and Mathematics degree from the University of 

Texas, and his talents, to do that, help others in the ICT field. 

My father believes in the power of information as well as technology, and how it can 

help communities that the world has neglected and left behind. I have never known him 

to even have a political standpoint as he proclaimed to be a law-abiding citizen of the 

world, and does not become a part of any party, group, or government To help advance 

his mission, he founded and managed a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization, IJMA3 USA, 

with offices right here in Washington, DC. 

My father, Nizar Zakka, was invited by Iranian Vice President Mrs. Shahindokht 

Molaverdi to attend the 2nd International Conference & Exhibition on Women in 

Sustainable Development "Entrepreneurship & Employment" in Tehran from the 141

h to 

the 18th September of 2015. I have submitted a copy of the invitation letter for 

legislative record. 

I'll repeat it because it is so important: My dad had an official invitation from a senior 

Iranian official. In her invitation letter to my dad, Mrs. Molaverdi said that she wanted my 

dad to speak in Iran because of his "countless knowledge, valuable experiences 

and deep creativeness & innovations ... for enriching this significant event and 

transferring" as well as my dad's "achievements and experiences to this 

Conference." Yet despite these seemingly nice-sounding words, after the Conference, 

my father was kidnapped on his way to the airport and has been detained and held 

against his will at the notorious Evin prison. This is why my dad has insisted throughout 

this ordeal that he was "invited and kidnapped." 

I was not alive, of course, the first time Iranians took Americans hostage in 1979. So 

this is the first time in my short years that I have heard anything like this. So I decided to 

research about it, I found nothing. This is baffling. It seems as if this is the first time, that 

an ICT expert, someone is invited by a government, as a guest, then gets kidnapped by 

that same government To my knowledge, this has not even been done, by any party, or 

organization let alone a government. 

Governments may have disagreements, but treating people as hostages, a centuries 

old but uncivilized practice, is not acceptable among civilized nations. Which is why we 

have repeatedly urged the unconditional release of my dad. And I do so again today: 

please let my dad go' My dad went to Iran, as he has to other countries in the Middle 

East, to help the Iranian people learn more about the Internet. 

It has been 2 years since my father was stolen away from our family. It has been a 

tough time. In addition to the bad things that have been done to him in Evin, his mother, 

our grandmother died last year and my dad was not able to say goodbye to her. We 

talked about these things since I've had the privilege to speak to him on the phone for 

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22


26426c-3.eps

the past few months. His voice and tone alone have made me feel the suffering he has 

had to endure to this point. These two years have done so much damage to him 

physically, that I would never wish this upon anyone in the world. To the government of 

Iran: is this how you treat a guest? 

All of this pain and suffering has led my dad to this ongoing hunger strike; he told me 

the other day that we do not put our heads down for anyone. My dad said that he 

would rather die for his cause than live with injustice and what they are doing to him. In 

fact, he said this phrase to us, in Arabic, that translates to "liberty or death." 

My dad did not say whether he was quoting the famous American Patrick Henry, but he 

has been inspired throughout his whole life about the American experience of liberty 

and freedom. A liberty and freedom that he believes will help the people all over the 

world make better lives for themselves and their families. He believes so much in this 

that, despite the things that are being done to him, for his steadfast position about the 

importance of information and the Internet, as well as his refusal to give in to Iranian 

pressures, my father has been called a prisoner of conscience. 

I believe these ideas help sustain my dad as his body weakens. This is very difficult for 

me to say but as my dad has said, again, he would rather die, than succumb to his 

captors. Even in Evin prison, in his own way, my dad thinks of other prisoners and what 

they are going through, including some who have family here today. To these families, I 

know my dad, and if he can, I know that he will do all he can in his power to help your 

loved ones get out as well. 

This is his 301

h day on hunger strike, I fear for his life and safety. Please, I plead with 

you, the American people, the people from our ancestral homeland, Lebanon, please 

not to let my father die in Iran. We ask anyone in a position to do so, to please help my 

brothers and I be reunited with our dad. 

Thank you very much for this special opportunity. 

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Poblete Tamargo LLPIA/exandria, Virginia 
23

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you very much, Mr. Zakka. Thank 

you, very mature and professional presentation as well as heartfelt 

and emotional and I am sorry that you had to grow up so fast, 

along with Mr. Levinson, before your time you became adults. 

Mr. Levinson, your father as we have discussed is the longestheld American citizen in our nation’s history, and his disappearance in 2007 means that your family has interacted with three U.S. 

administrations in the White House. Can you tell us about the 

level of engagement the U.S. Government has had with your father’s case over the last decade, and do you feel that the current 

administration is giving your father’s case the appropriate amount 

of resources? Can you describe how, if at all, the current administration’s approach may differ from the previous two administrations? Thank you, sir. 

Mr. LEVINSON. Absolutely. Thank you for the question. 

Just this past week, my mother as well as several of my siblings 

came to DC and we met with various U.S. Government officials at 

the White House, at the State Department, as well as the FBI. The 

FBI has been absolutely incredible over the past 10 years. They 

truly make us feel as if we are family because my father was an 

FBI agent for 22 years. 

I think that over the past 10 years we have been told the same 

things over and over again, ‘‘Stay silent’’ or ‘‘Now it is time to be 

more public.’’ It has been fluctuating for 10 years of doing press 

and not doing press. And it is incredibly disappointing to my family 

that it has been 10 years of this over and over and over again and 

three administrations. 

We are optimistic about the White House statement that was released on Friday saying that there will be severe consequences if 

the Iranian Government does not release my father and the other 

Americans being held, and we are optimistic by that because that 

is some of the strongest language that we have heard in the past 

10 years, but it is a great first start. It is a great first step and 

we are looking for more. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you very much. 

Mr. Namazi, you testified that your father has lost more than 30 

pounds and he has been hospitalized twice in the last few months. 

And your brother, well, his detention conditions are horrific. He 

has been subjected to psychological torment. Can you tell us what 

kind of access they are getting for their health needs, any attention 

whatsoever? And how can the U.S. Government, have we been advocating for their health needs while they are in prison? 

Mr. NAMAZI. Thank you, Madam Chairman. I think what has 

been lacking, well, for my family ever since this nightmare started 

is really understanding what has been happening to my father and 

Siamak. When my dad was hospitalized this was not information 

that was shared with us in advance. This is something we found 

out after the fact from my father. When we asked him why he was 

hospitalized there was not much he could tell us. He had no access 

to medical records from this hospitalization, and we were never formally advised of what conditions and what records they were. 

There has been a lot of pressure because of this from the U.S. 

Government, from my family, from everyone who cares, really, and 

I believe that he has been getting more medical attention because 

24

he has already been hospitalized twice. But I fear that this is not 

enough and I fear that at any moment my father may die. And I 

hate saying this, I also didn’t think I would ever have to sit in this 

room and testify and describe these horrible conditions. So I think 

what is really urgently needed are ways to get my family out before 

it is too late. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. And the clock is ticking and you fear for 

their survival. 

Mr. NAMAZI. Yes. I mean the days, the weeks, the months, they 

are going by and this situation continues to deteriorate very rapidly. We are not talking about a condition that has just come about. 

My father has had heart surgery in the past. He has had heart condition in the past. Siamak has been pushed over the edge. He is 

under relentless pressure and interrogations. All signs indicate 

that they are succeeding in, you know, taking away his will and 

really breaking him. 

So we are desperate. We are desperate and we are completely, 

until today, at a loss of why this is happening to our family. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. We hear your pleas and we will act on those. 

And Mr. Zakka, thank you so much for your emotional testimony. 

Now in November of last year, Iran’s Javad Zarif talked about your 

dad and he said that the matter of your dad is a U.S.-Iranian problem. And one of the leading networks also asked Rouhani about 

your father. What message do you have for Zarif, for Rouhani, for 

any other Iranian regime leader who can help your father? 

Mr. ZAKKA. You wouldn’t expect anyone to be invited into their 

home and you hurt them. When you invite someone to your home 

you must respect them, respect the people that walk into your 

home and do not harm them. Thank you. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you very much, excellent witnesses 

and just a horrific set of circumstances. 

And it is my pleasure to recognize Mr. Deutch for his question 

and answer. 

Mr. DEUTCH. And I thank my friend the chairman. 

Doug and Babak and Omar, it is difficult to testify before Congress. It is particularly difficult to have to appear to share something as painful as what each of you is going through. I would just 

suggest that and let you know that the service that you are providing the country, not just Bob and Siamak and Bakar and Nizar, 

but the service you are providing the country by giving us the opportunity to pause for a moment and remember that with all of the 

challenges that Washington faces and all of the things that are so 

dividing our country, at a moment when Americans are being held 

abroad wrongly as hostages and it is a moment that the country 

has to come together and you are providing that opportunity for all 

of us and for that we are grateful. 

Doug, I know that your mom and your brother Dan traveled to 

Iran shortly after your dad went missing. Have you had any further engagement with Iran since that first trip? Are there plans to 

go back? 

Mr. LEVINSON. Yes, so actually my brother Dan traveled to Iran, 

Kish Island, himself, just almost 2 years ago after the previous 

hearing. If that is any sign of how desperate we are, my brother 

25

traveled there by himself to Kish Island to retrace my father’s footsteps again and talk to anybody there that could help us. 

We would love to go back. Hopefully we won’t need to. Hopefully 

they can send him home. But if we need to, we are looking into 

putting in our request to go back over there. 

Mr. DEUTCH. The hearing today is obviously being broadcast. Is 

there anything that you would like to say to the people who are 

holding your father, Doug? 

Mr. LEVINSON. I would say we need Bob Levinson. We need my 

father back now. It has been 10 years. He has missed so much, if 

that picture of me is any physical evidence or can tell you how long 

it has been, how much of our lives he has missed. He is a good 

man. He is a decent, good and decent man. Please send him back 

home. 

Mr. DEUTCH. Is there a particular message we can send to the 

new administration, Members of Congress? 

Mr. LEVINSON. Yes. Like I said in my testimony, do not let Iran 

off the hook. They know exactly where he is. Put as much pressure 

as possible on them and this administration. If there is a way to 

sanction an organization or an individual over there and hold that 

as a terms of release of my father saying that we will not ease 

those sanctions unless you return Bob Levinson, that is one suggestion. I think that it is absolutely devastating to my family that it 

has been 10 years and the U.S. public, not everybody knows about 

Bob Levinson and not everybody knows about the longest-held hostage in American history who is still being held. 

Mr. DEUTCH. And finally, if you would like on behalf of your 

mom and your siblings, you have not had the opportunity to speak 

with your dad, what message would you send to him? 

Mr. LEVINSON. I would tell him, I would say Dad, we are never 

going to stop. We will never stop fighting to get you home. We are 

doing everything we possibly can every single day. We miss you. 

We love you. Please stay strong. We are going to get you home. 

Mr. DEUTCH. Doug, I can only promise you and Christine and 

Dan and your family and the Namazi family and the Zakka family 

that the chair and I and the members of this committee and the 

members of the United States Congress will continue to work and 

press and do everything we can until all of your loved ones return 

where they belong here at home. And I yield back. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you so much, Mr. Deutch, for your 

leadership on this issue. 

Mr. Zeldin of New York? 

Mr. ZELDIN. Thank you, Madam Chair. And first off, to the 

Levinson family I can personally attest from being in many settings with your congressman that when you are not around, no 

cameras, no media, when it is just your congressman with anyone 

who can possibly do anything to help you, it is the very first thing 

and he advocates very passionately on your behalf. I can’t even, I 

have lost count of just how many times I have been in the settings 

with him where he was advocating on behalf of you and your family. It is important for you to know that because none of that does 

get covered. And I also know that he is not doing it to get covered, 

he is doing it to bring your dad home, to bring your spouse home. 

26

As far as when we look at the debate over Iran and the Iran nuclear deal, there is discussion over the letter of the deal and there 

is the discussion over the spirit of the deal. And the spirit of the 

deal you can look at all of Iran’s bad activities in total to see 

whether or not Iran is abiding by the spirit of the deal. I think today’s hearing is showing the faces of Iran violating the spirit of the 

deal. 

Every time Iran is chanting death to America in their streets, on 

their holidays, calling us the Great Satan, calling Israel the Little 

Satan, test firing intercontinental ballistic missiles in violation of 

U.N. resolutions, working to overthrow foreign governments or financing terror, actively doing it right now with the money that was 

provided to them in the sanctions relief, they are violating the spirit of the deal. 

And part of the process of recertifying every 3 months the Iran 

nuclear deal is not just whether or not Iran is in compliance with 

the letter of the JCPOA, but also whether or not the deal is in 

America’s national interest, it is in the best interest of America’s 

national security. And unfortunately what we gave up was our leverage that brought the Iranians to the table. As we were negotiating the JCPOA, the Iranians needed the deal more than we did. 

Not only were we propping up a bad regime, we certainly were 

propping up the wrong regime when you look at the other options. 

And if someone was to say they only spent $1 billion or $3 billion 

on terror that is $1 billion or $3 billion more than we should have 

been providing to them through the sanctions relief. 

So now we have these Americans being unjustly imprisoned and 

the Iranians are not at the table. And that is why I believe that 

when we were negotiating the deal in the first place all of these 

other bad activities should have been part of the agreement because I don’t know what leverage right now we have to have the 

Iranians come to the table begging to release your family members. 

And I think it is important for Congress and the administration 

and for the American public, but also for the international community, because this isn’t just the United States, to all be working together to increase sanctions on Iran’s bad activities to get back to 

that point where the Iranians are begging for the sanctions relief. 

And at that point as they are begging for the sanctions relief we 

should be putting down a red line that says we will absolutely not 

agree to this deal unless you release our American prisoners being 

unjustly held. It is a red line that should have gotten thrown down 

last time and it is a red line that should be taken into consideration for next time. 

And in order for that red line to be effective, I believe that Congress needs to be increasing the sanctions on the Iranians and that 

the Americans need to work on putting the teeth back into these 

sanctions working with our allies in other countries, because I 

think that too is part of the purpose of us being here. One is to 

hear your incredibly moving testimony, to see your faces as the face 

of Iran’s bad activities and your family members as the face of 

Iran’s bad activities, but to do something about it because you want 

your family members home. 

And you know what, with Iranians, asking nicely isn’t going to 

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27

spect weakness, they only respect strength. And to get them back 

to the table and to get your family members home, the pressure 

needs to get ramped back up and we need to stop playing nice with 

the wrong regime, a regime that appeases hardliners and certainly 

doesn’t have your family members’ best interest in mind. I yield 

back. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you very much, Mr. Zeldin. 

Mr. Schneider? 

Mr. SCHNEIDER. Thank you. And again I just want to emphasize 

my gratitude to the chairman and ranking member for calling this 

hearing, for each of you for sharing your stories. I am the father 

of two sons same age as you, Mr. Levinson, 9 months on either side 

of you. I am a very proud dad. I can’t speak on behalf of your fathers, but I can speak with certainty that they are very proud of 

you here today, so thank you for sharing your story. 

Mr. Levinson, you have had the unfortunate circumstance, you 

and your family, of working with now three administrations. To the 

extent that you are willing to share, could you help us understand 

the differences in approach, if any, that this administration is taking, or steps and actions you would like to see this administration 

take? 

Mr. LEVINSON. Absolutely. Thank you for your comments. Like I 

said, the statement put out last week by the White House was 

some of the most strong and powerful language directed at the Iranians. I believe it is quoted as saying there will be severe consequences if they do not return Bob Levinson and the other American hostages and all other American hostages. 

I think throughout the past 10 years we have seen—we have constantly been told the same thing that we are doing everything we 

can. But on January 16th, it was apparent that not everything that 

they could have done was done. 

Mr. SCHNEIDER. January 16th last year. 

Mr. LEVINSON. Correct, 2016. 

Mr. SCHNEIDER. Right. 

Mr. LEVINSON. My father was not part of the JCPOA. After the 

other Americans were released, I believe in the deal it is stated 

that Iran will continue to cooperate on working to find my father, 

and they have not. I have to make that clear. They have not. We 

have not heard anything from them cooperating with the United 

States Government. 

I think for this administration again the statement was a good 

first start, first step. Truly it is encouraging to us. However, statements need to be backed with action, and if they do not release my 

father there needs to be consequences. 

Mr. SCHNEIDER. Agreed. 

Mr. Namazi, as I understand it, you and your family had the 

chance to meet with Ambassador Haley at the U.N. From your perspective, to the extent you can share again and outcomes, effects 

that that meeting had, the effect of having the U.N. and UNICEF 

engaged in your father’s case, could you expand on that if you 

would? 

Mr. NAMAZI. Thank you. As you mentioned, my father worked for 

over 20 years for UNICEF so it obviously makes a lot of sense for 

the U.N. to be highly engaged and they have been engaged. MeetVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:02 Sep 14, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\_MENA\072517\26426 SHIRL
28

ing with Ambassador Haley was extremely helpful to bring the attention that it is not just a concern in Washington, obviously, 

which is a very high concern as it should be, but also the U.N. community and the U.N. family is extremely concerned for the wellbeing of my father. So I found a lot of support from Ambassador 

Haley and it has publicly been reported afterward of course. Secretary-General Guterres has also as a result been engaged following by the former Secretary-General. 

All these engagements of course are very helpful, but at the end 

of the day what matters to me, to my mom, what matters the most 

to my dad and Siamak is the results. It has been almost this past 

week marked 2 years that Siamak was prevented from leaving. It 

is about 20 months that this nightmare has been going on for my 

father who is not doing well. And all the engagements are great. 

They are increasing. We are getting a lot of access and meeting 

with the officials. And I do look forward to all these to bear the result of seeing my father and Siamak. 

Mr. SCHNEIDER. Thank you. And I will close with this. There is 

but one measure of success here and it is Siamak and Bakar, it is 

Robert Levinson, it is Nizar Zakka coming home. 

I have not sat in the chairs you sit in today as a witness, it is 

difficult to testify before Congress I have no doubt. Again I just 

want to emphasize to all three of you, you have spoken on behalf 

of your families, your brother and fathers, in a way that makes all 

of us proud. Please know that we will do all we can all the time 

to make sure that that measure of success, bringing them home, 

is achieved sooner rather than later. Thank you very much and I 

yield back. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Well said. Thank you so much, Mr. Schneider. 

Ambassador Wagner of Missouri? 

Mrs. WAGNER. Thank you, Madam Chair, for shining a spotlight 

on Iran’s hostages. My heart breaks for those who have been arbitrarily detained in Iran and I am hopeful that this hearing will 

help the U.S. Government better respond to these tragedies. The 

abuse you and your family members have suffered at the hands of 

the Iranian regime is appalling and I am in awe of your bravery 

and your perseverance. 

In 2015, the Obama administration issued a presidential policy 

directive on U.S. hostage policy stating that the U.S. Government 

would share more information with families and take into consideration each family’s particular needs. To each of you, do you believe 

the Obama administration took steps to better communicate with 

families, and what would you recommend changing or not changing 

about the U.S. hostage policy? 

Mr. Levinson, we will start with you. 

Mr. LEVINSON. On the topic of communication, like I said we 

found out that the others were released as part of the JCPOA by 

watching the news. My mother got a phone call that morning. My 

phone—I was sleeping. I believe it was a Saturday—Sunday, Sunday. I was sleeping in because I was still in college. And when I 

woke up I saw 50 text messages and missed calls and I thought 

to myself, oh, my gosh. This could be it. And it was not. It was the 

complete opposite. 

29

The FBI has continued to be a great friend and partner and investigator in trying to get my father home. They have always been 

in constant contact with us. For recommendations I would say just 

get all these Americans home and there won’t need to be a communication issue the next time that happens. 

Mrs. WAGNER. Thank you, Mr. Levinson. 

Mr. Namazi? 

Mr. NAMAZI. We had a horrible experience, actually. I mean during the Obama administration we found out on television like the 

Levinson family that initially my brother Siamak was released and 

part of the swap. There were obviously, I can’t describe the feeling 

of joy and the feeling of happiness that my brother has been released. That feeling was crushed within an hour that in fact 

Siamak was not part of the swap and for reasons which were not 

really clear to me until today, he was left behind. 

And all this is unraveling on television, no one was communicating with us at that time. And when I was trying to find out 

information afterwards within the first 24 hours was very difficult 

to get clarity, and then finally we were told that there was a promise made by Foreign Minister Zarif to Secretary Kerry that Siamak 

would be released within weeks. The communication obviously got 

better because it couldn’t get any worse, I would imagine, after everything that unraveled as it did that day. 

I think the Office of the Special Envoy is an important office. I 

mean obviously taking that horrible night which was a huge, huge 

nightmare for my family not to have any communication, even getting a warning in advance that be prepared that this will happen 

and then that Siamak for whatever reason is not part of it, but 

thereafter that office had been helpful to at least keeping us informed on a regular basis. That office, the particular position has 

not been filled under the Trump administration, but we have had 

regular communications which started slowly but it has picked up 

pace on that aspect of it. 

So, but obviously again I doubt everything can be shared with us, 

but you know, you don’t want empty hope but you want to feel that 

we are heading toward a situation where your family and your 

loved ones will come home. 

Mrs. WAGNER. Thank you, Mr. Namazi. 

Mr. Zakka? 

Mr. ZAKKA. I am not really sure how everything works here and 

how people should have received news, but how I receive my news 

is I go online like anyone else and read the news. But recently my 

dad has been able to talk to me and throughout those communications I am able to receive the news that I need. 

Mrs. WAGNER. I have a couple more questions, Madam Chair, 

but I will—I have run out of my time. I will just say that like I 

said my heart breaks for you. I will proudly join my colleagues on 

the House floor tomorrow when we vote for this sanctions package. 

I will speak out on the floor tomorrow morning during the 10:00 

a.m. hour on behalf of your loved ones. I thank you. 

Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Thank you so much, Ambassador Wagner. 

That voice is needed and we appreciate the bipartisan support that 

our bill has received. Thank you to the witnesses today. Sometimes 

as you have pointed out, it is hard for you to know whether to beVerDate 0ct 09 2002 11:02 Sep 14, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00033 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\_MENA\072517\26426 SHIRL
30

come public, whether to speak out on behalf of your loved ones who 

are imprisoned in this country, the largest state-sponsored terrorism, still, in the world, but I think that you have made the right 

choice. I think that you have been leading advocates and no one 

knows about their suffering better than the people whom they love. 

So thank you for being such strong champions and strong advocates for your loved ones. 

And with that, the hearing is adjourned. Thank you. 

[Whereupon, at 4:16 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.] 

(31)

A P P E N D I X 

MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD

32

f


26426n.eps

SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING NOTICE 

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

WASHINGTON, DC 20515-6128 

Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa 

Tieana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairman 

July 21,2017 

TO: MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

You are respectfully requested to attend an OPEN hearing of the Committee on Foreign 

Affairs, to be held by the Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa in Room 2172 of 

the Rayburn House Office Building (and available live on the Committee website at 

http:/0z,vvwFQr_~Affairs.hous<uilly): 

DATE: 

TIME: 

SUBJECT: 

WITNESSES: 

Tuesday, July 25, 2017 

3:00p.m. 

Held for Ransom: The Families of Iran's Hostages Speak Out 

Mr. Douglas Levinson 

(Son()( Robert Levinson) 

Mr. Babak Namazi 

(Son()( Baquer Nam(/Zi, brother ()(Siamak Namazi) 

Mr. Omar Zakka 

(Son of Nizar Zakka) 

By Direction of the Chairman 
33

f


26426m.eps

COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS 

MINUTES OF SUBCOMMITTEE ON ______ 11_'"_M_,_·d,_ll_e li_·a_s_t a_•_•d_N_o_rt_h_AJ:_;_·ic_·a ______ HEARING 

Day· _ ___cT:.,t,.-te~s"'da,),_' __ Date ___ 0_71._'2_51._'2_0_1_7 __ Room. ___ ~2~1~72~---

Starting Time 3:03p.m. Ending Time 4:16p.m. 

Recesses L_to __ ) L_to ___) L_to __ ) L_to __ ) L_to __ ) L_to ___) 

Presiding Mcmbcr(s) 

Chairman Ros-Lehtinen 

Clteck all ~ftlte.follmving tlwt apply: 

Open Session [Z] 

Executive (<:!<>sed) Session D Televised [{] 

TITLE 01<' HEARING: 

Electronically Recordffi..{taped) [Z] 

Stenographic Record L.:LJ 

Held.for Ransom: 11w Families of Iran's Hostages Speak Out 

SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: 

GOP- Chairman Ros-Lehtinen, Reps. Chabot, DeSantis, Zeldin, Donovan, Wagnet; Fitzpatrick 

Dem- Ranking Member Deutch, Reps. Schneider 

NON-SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS PRESENT: (Mark with an * ilthey are not members qffi.ill committee) 

HEARING WITNESSES: Same as meeting notice attached'! Yes 0 No 0 

((f "no", please list belo-w and include title, agency, department, or organization.) 

STATEMENTS FOR TilE RECORD: (List any statements submitted.for the record.) 

Documents presented by Mt. Levinson 

;Sl\bcommtt cc Staff Associate 
34

MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD BY MR. DOUGLAS LEVINSON

(SON OF ROBERT LEVINSON)


26426d.eps
35


26426e-1.eps

Document #1 - [TN • In this letter, Anderson is probably Levinson.] 

URGENT 

Our Nation is Proud to Be the Student of the School of Prophet Mohammad 

(Blessing of God be upon him and his descendants) 

The Honorable Head of the Judiciary Office of the Armed Forces 

H.E. Hojatollah-Aesalm Bahrami 

Greetings, Thereby inform you that according to the report and the security services of this 

Ministry in Kish, a member of the US Federal Investigation or may be CIA, Robert Anderson, 

has recently entered the country with a regular passport and a tourist visa. He is here as an 

undercover tourist while conducting various meetings, taking pictures and gathering infonnation. 

Since his spying activities and efforts to set up a network have been established, please, make an 

arrangement to arrest him immediately by the end of the day, with the assistance of this 

ministry's personnel at the headquarter of the intelligence at Kish and transfer him to a detention 

center with a maximum security. 

God Bless you with success. 

3619172 

274 

03/08/2007 

Signature of the Deputy of Counter Intelligence 

cc. 

1-Deputy of the operations 

2-Tn the Name of God, the military prosecutor in Bandar Lange should be notified and the 

subject must be arrested 

Deputy for the operations• Expeditiously and with the help of the brothers [IL] should be 

arrested. 

Signature 

[IL] 
36


26426e-2.eps

Document#2 

URGENT 

AIR FORCE 

Kish Air Base 

No: 2619-42 

Date: May 2, 2007 

124 

ln the Name of God 

From: Command Center of Sahafaja [PH], Kish Air Base 

To: The Honorable head of the military prosecutor office of Ban dar Langeh 

Subject: Accused File No. 85/3598 

Greetings, Thereby inform Your Excellency that according to your order, the above subject is 

under the arrest of this military unit at a detention center at this base. 

The subject has expressed that he is sick and his blood pressure is low for the last three days. He 

fell into a coma. His doctor examined him and he was diagnosed to have diabetes and noted that 

he is not in a good condition and ordered to transfer him to a hospital. 

ln regard to the importance of this matter and the subject, please inform us about the necessary 

actions that should be taken in this regard. 

Signed on behalf of 

The Commander of Intelligence Protection, Kish Air Base 

Mohammad Reza Jalali 

(A messenger should hand deliver the result) 

Receivers: 

1- The Head of the Sahahagh [B-24] for information and taking necessary action. 

2- The Kish Intelligence Office for information purposes 

3- Secret file 

The above attachment should be sent to Tehran for guidance. 
37


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