28 May 2023 :

(May 26, 2023) - IRNA: 'Assadi's release, a personal victory for Raisi's diplomatic initiatives'
Two telephone calls between Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and Belgium's Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, on March 1 and April 20, played a major role in the release of Assadollah Assadi, a former Iranian diplomat imprisoned in Belgium, and showed how the Iranian president's diplomacy drive can lead to major success in critical times, according to an analysis.
The analysis by IRNA's political desk published on Saturday said three days after the first phone call, the Constitutional Court of Belgium approved a prisoner swap treaty between Tehran and Brussels, and 35 days after the second phone call, Assadi was released from prison and returned to Iran on May 26.
It said that President Raisi had warned that it would be harmful for Belgium if its chooses to act on wrong and misleading information provided by terrorist and mercenary groups about Assadi's legal case.
The plane carrying Assadi landed at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Airport on Friday evening.
Belgian police arrested Assadi in June 2018, accusing him of plotting an attack against the anti-Iran Mujahedin-e Khalq (MKO) terrorist organization, a claim that has been strongly rejected by the former diplomat and Iranian authorities.
A Belgian court then sentenced Assadi, who had served as the third counselor at Iran's Embassy in Vienna, to 20 years in prison.
Iran had repeatedly condemned the violation of Assadi's diplomatic immunity and made every effort to secure his release in negotiations with Belgian authorities.

https://en.irna.ir/news/85123218/Assadi-s-release-a-personal-victory-for-Raisi-s-diplomatic

28 May 2023 :

(May 26, 2023) - Belgian Government Releases Iranian Diplomat-Terrorist Assadollah Assadi in Controversial Prisoner Swap
Assadi was released from prison and returned to Iran on May 26
Brussels, Belgium – In a move that has drawn sharp criticism from both national and international observers, the Belgian government today released Iranian diplomat-terrorist Assadollah Assadi in a prisoner swap. Assadi, who was convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in a foiled bomb plot targeting an Iranian opposition rally in France, has been at the center of a contentious and high-profile case.
Many experts have voiced concerns that this decision demonstrates a weakness of the European Union and the Belgian government, which they argue has effectively bowed to the Iranian regime’s blackmailing and bargaining tactics. Critics argue that the move may encourage further acts of terrorism and weaken the international community’s ability to deter and punish such actions.
In a statement, the Iranian Resistance strongly condemned the release of Assadi. The statement reads: “The release of this terrorist diplomat, while the Constitutional Court had clearly stated in its judgment that the Belgian government should inform the victims before transferring the convicts so that they have the opportunity to once again take the issue to court. The release of the terrorist, who organized and commanded the biggest criminal act in Europe after the Second World War by violating the Court’s order, is a shameful ransom for terrorism and hostage-taking. This will embolden the religious fascism ruling Iran to continue its crimes in Iran through repression and regional and international terrorism. From May 1 to May 25, 127 people were executed in Iran.”
Assadi, who served as the third secretary of the Iranian embassy in Vienna, was arrested in Germany in July 2018 and later extradited to Belgium, where he was tried and convicted for his involvement in the bomb plot. The court found that he had provided a Belgian-Iranian couple with explosives and a detonator, with explicit instructions to target June 30, 2018, National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) rally near Paris. The plot was foiled by European authorities, preventing a potentially devastating terrorist attack.
The decision to release Assadi has raised questions about the commitment of the EU and the Belgian government to combat terrorism and hold those responsible accountable. Critics argue that the prisoner swap sends a message of weakness and may embolden other state-sponsored terrorists to carry out similar attacks, believing that they can ultimately avoid serious consequences.
In response to the criticism, Belgian officials have defended their decision, arguing that the prisoner swap was a necessary step to secure the release of Belgian and European citizens detained in Iran on trumped-up charges. The government maintains that the exchange was carried out in the interests of national security and the well-being of the detained citizens.

https://irannewsupdate.com/news/terrorism/belgian-government-releases-iranian-diplomat-terrorist-assadollah-assadi-in-controversial-prisoner-swap/

30 April 2023 :

(April 26, 2023) Plea to Save Ahmadreza Djalali, Iranian-Swedish Scholar in Death Row
An international network protecting academic freedom reiterated its call for the immediate release of an Iranian-Swedish scholar who has been imprisoned for 7 years and faces execution in Iran.
In an e-mail sent to the prime ministers of Sweden and Belgium on April 26, the executive director of New York-based Scholars at Risk, Robert Quinn, urged the two heads of government to do everything in their power to secure the release of Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali “before it is too late.”
“Today marks seven years since Dr. Djalali was arbitrarily arrested by Iranian authorities. Dr. Djalali has endured over 2,550 days in Tehran’s Evin Prison under cruel and inhumane conditions, including torture and continuous threats of imminent execution,” Quinn added.
Djalali was arrested during an academic visit to Iran in 2016 and was sentenced to death on the charges of espionage and treason following what human rights organizations called a “grossly unfair” trial.
He specializes in disaster relief and is a scholar at Belgium’s Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
Western governments have repeatedly accused the Islamic Republic of taking dual and foreign nationals hostage to use them in prisoner swaps or as a bargaining chip in international negotiations.
On the Djalali case see also HoC 03/08/2019, 03/08/2019, 21/08/2019, 18/12/2019, 24/11/2020, 25/11/2020, 01/12/2020, 02/12/2020, 16/12/2020, 18/12/2020, 18/03/2021, 30/03/2021, 15/04/2021, 09/04/2022, 02/05/2022, 04/05/2022, 09/05/2022, 21/05/2022, 24/05/2022, 24/05/2022.

https://iranwire.com/en/news/115992-plea-to-save-iranian-swedish-scholar-in-death-row/

05 March 2023 :

(March 3, 2023) - Belgium’s Top Court Issues Decree To Swap Iranian Diplomat
Belgium's Constitutional Court has rejected a request to annul a prisoner exchange treaty with the Islamic Republic that can lead to the release of an Iranian diplomat.
The constitutional court said in a press release Friday that "The Court rejects the action for annulment," a decree that could lead to Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, convicted of terrorism, being swapped for Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, held hostage in Iran.
“The Court rejects the appeal against the law assenting to the Belgian-Iranian treaty, but the victims of a convicted person must be informed of his transfer so as to be able to submit this for the review of the legality by a judge,” read the statement.
The court added that “This balancing act must be made in a concrete case and on a case-by-case basis, and must be open for judicial review. It is up to the competent judge (in principle the Court of first instance), with respect for the separation of powers, to review the legality of the decision of the Government authorizing the transfer of a person detained in Belgium towards a foreign State of which it is a national.”
The temporary ban on the extradition of the convicted diplomat was announced by the Brussels Court of Appeal late in July following numerous complaints after the Belgian Parliament ratified a controversial prisoner swap treaty with Iran on July 20. The Iranian exiled opposition group Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) mounted a fierce campaign against the deal, challenging the possible extradition. "The court has now declared the plaintiffs' question unfounded," said lawyer Khloë Georgiev, who represents Vandecasteele. In June, Belgian MPs ratified a deal to allow the exchange. At the time, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo argued that it was the only way to get Vandeesteele back home safely.
The Islamic Republic’s judiciary sentenced Vandecasteele, who was detained in 2022, to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes for alleged “spying and cooperation with the United States, money laundering and smuggling $500,000 out of Iran.” Vandecasteele, 41, has served in various international humanitarian organizations since at least 2006, including, Médecins du Monde, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and Relief International. He worked in Iran for humanitarian organizations for more than six years and left the country. Later, he was lured back by “a girlfriend” and was detained in February 2022. A spokesman for Vandecasteele’s family said in December that he should serve up to 28 years in prison.
In a statement released late in February, Amnesty International said Iranian authorities are subjecting Vandecasteele to enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment, urging all states whose nationals are or have been detained at any point in Iran to promptly examine whether the deprivation of liberty amounts to an act of hostage-taking, and if so, take all appropriate measures to ensure accountability. Currently, at least 16 foreign citizens, most of whom dual nationals, are detained in the prisons of the Islamic Republic.
Assadi, 50, a former attaché at the Iranian embassy in Austria, was convicted of plotting to bomb a gathering of the MEK near Paris on June 30, 2018. The only Iranian diplomat ever brought to trial in Europe for direct involvement in terrorism was arrested in Germany, where he did not enjoy diplomatic immunity, while he was on holiday. German authorities later extradited Assadi to Belgium.
Some Belgian lawmakers voiced concern that the prisoner exchange treaty might lead to "hostage diplomacy" and put other Belgians at risk of detention.
On Monday, February 27, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib held a meeting with the Islamic Republic’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian hours before tens of participants at the UN Human Rights Council walked out when Akir-Abdollahian spoke at the 52nd session of the body at UHRC’s headquarters in Geneva.
The meeting between the Belgian and Iranian ministers drew heavy criticism by many activists and officials, including Belgian lawmaker Darya Safai, who pointed out that “The Belgian government goes along with hostage diplomacy.” Lahbib herself tweeted about the release of Vandecasteele, who was probably the main reason for the meeting.
On the Assadi case see also HoC 3, 12 and 28 February 2021, 15 April 2021, 10 and 14 May 2022, 02, 05, 22 July 2022.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202303034530

12 January 2023 :

Belgian Olivier Vandecasteele Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison and Flogging. Iranian forcing to get a prisoner exchange.
Iran’s judiciary announced that the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Belgian Olivier Vandecasteele to 40 years imprisonment and 74 lashes.
According to HRANA, quoting Mizan Online news agency, jailed Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele was sentenced to imprisonment, flogging and paying a fine.
Vandecasteele received 12.5 years for “spying on the Islamic Republic of Iran for foreign intelligence services,” 12.5 years for “collaboration with the USA, as a hostile country against Iran’s regime,” 12.5 years for “money laundering half a million dollars,” as well as forfeiting this money and its revenues, and 2.5 years for “smuggling half million dollars.” He was also sentenced to a one-million-dollar fine and 74 lashes.
Appealing, reportedly, is admissible within 20 days.
At odds with this verdict, on December 14, 2022, quoting Vandecasteele’s family, RTL News reported that he had received 28 years. Vandecasteele’s whereabouts are still unknown.
On the Vandecasteele case see also HoC 21/07/2022, 22/07/2022 and 03/01/2023.

https://www.en-hrana.org/belgian-olivier-vandecasteele-sentenced-to-40-years-in-prison-and-flogging/
https://today.rtl.lu/news/world/a/2004994.html