Attorneys Seek Congressional Assistance for help in Freeing Zack Shahin from Prison in Dubai to his Family in America as the Obama Administration Stands Idle

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, April 1, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Wondering whether any answers to the many letters sent by family members and attorneys for Zack Shahin to the United States Department of State will be forthcoming, legal counsel for Shahin have now turned their focus toward seeking Congressional assistance to end his six-year long ordeal.

Citing the lack of any response from correspondence directed to Secretary of State John Kerry and his predecessor, Hillary Clinton, as well as to U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E. Michael Corbin; Consul General in Dubai, Rob Waller; and A. Elizabeth Jones, Acting Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, attorneys for Zack Shahin are stepping up their requests to U.S. Representatives and Senators, and members of standing House and Senate committees to press the State Department to account for their failure to weigh in against the many abuses committed in the name of Dubai justice against Shahin.

"Although we have previously directed letters to legislators, we are seeking to find someone willing to call on Secretary Kerry and demand justification for the inaction of the State Department to the many instances of abuse and violations of Zack's due process and human rights.," stated Eric J. Akers, co-consul for Shahin.

"Beginning at least in 2008, the United States Department of State has noted shortcomings in the legal and judicial system of the U.A.E.," Akers said. "Since Zack Shahin has been imprisoned, his government has done nothing to direct the government of the U.A.E. to address the many shortcomings inherent with the control by the executive branch of the U.A.E. over the judiciary. This is, at the very least, the reason Zack has remained in prison. And we are now asking Congress to require an accounting from the State Department for this dereliction of duty as the life and interests of a U.S. citizen jailed abroad are not protected by the Obama administration."

Letters have been delivered to, and personal contact has been made, with House and Senate members in hopes of encouraging legislative intervention to this fiasco.  Both the Majority (Democratic) and Minority (Republican) sides of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations  and Ohio and Texas Senate offices have been contacted, as well as Congressmen John Culberson of Texas (where Zack last resided in the U.S., and where is his wife and children live) and Jim Jordan of Ohio (in whose district Zack's brother lives). "We are seeing some progress in presenting Zack's case to the members of Congress contacted, and await their response," Jim Jatras, co-consul for Shahin, stated.

About Zack Shahin's Plight Since His March 2008 Arrest and Imprisonment:

March 23, 2014, marked the six-year anniversary of Zack Shahin's arrest.  Except for the brief period following his release on bail in July 2012 and return that September, he has remained imprisoned without an upheld conviction. In early 2013, Zack was acquitted on the first of four criminal cases against him, all of which stem from the same baseless accusations concerning his tenure as CEO of Deyaar, a Dubai-based real estate company. The prosecutor unsuccessfully appealed this decision and the not-guilty verdict was upheld. In March 2013, Zack and co-defendants were found guilty of embezzlement and received a 15-year sentence. Zack immediately appealed the conviction and the Dubai Court of Appeals overturned the court's decision.

Despite an appeals court overturning Shahin's guilty verdict and a cassation court upholding another not-guilty verdict, after four years of court appearances and continuances, and an obvious strategic maneuver by the Dubai government to deny U.S. citizen Zack Shahin his due process right to a trial, Washington continues to tread lightly.

For more information on Zack Shahin's arrest, visit www.FreeZack.com.  U.S. legal counsel for Zack Shahin are Eric Akers and James Jatras.

For more information, please contact Darren Spinck, 202-669-4418/[email protected]

SOURCE U.S. Legal Counsel for Zack Shahin