A Belgian national was indicted for espionage and working against national security by Iran, said Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib, who received the confirmation of the suspect’s identity on Wednesday.
A spokesman for the judiciary said that the detainee was accused of espionage but did not reveal their identity. Aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele is the only Belgian currently imprisoned in Iran, leading to the conclusion that it could only be him.
Arrested in Iran in February 2022, Vandecasteele was sentenced to 28 years in prison in December for an unknown reason. Since then, Belgium has been demanding his release.
Iran has accused several foreigners of fuelling protests in the country after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested by the moral police enforcing the Islamic Republic’s dress code. It notably indicted a Belgian national and two French citizens for espionage and activities against the country’s national security, a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary told al Arabiya.
“For Belgium, Vandecasteele is innocent and must be released,” Belgium’s Foreign Office stated on Wednesday, Belga reported. “In the meantime, we ask that his detention conditions improve.”
Last year, Belgium negotiated a prisoner swap with Iran, which would have allowed for the exchange of an Iranian diplomat accused of terrorism and convicted in Belgium, Assadollah Assadi, for Vandecasteele.
However, Belgium’s Constitutional Court suspended the measure last month since there was a chance that Assadi would escape punishment once in Iran. Next month, the Court will decide if the treaty is to be abandoned or not.
According to several news media, Iran seems to be seeking to use Vandecasteele as a bargaining chip for Assadi.
In December, the FPS Foreign Affairs called on Belgian nationals in Iran to leave the country as soon as possible given the “increased risk of arbitrary detention in the current deteriorating security situation throughout Iran.”
“It is formally advised that Belgian nationals, including those with dual nationality, do not travel to Iran for any reason,” the release, still valid today, says.
(Anne-Sophie Gayet | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
