A Belgian citizen was arrested in Iran on February 24 for “an offense linked to espionage”, Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Kikenborn announced today, denouncing “the unlawful deprivation of his liberty”.
Van Kikenborn made these statements before a parliamentary committee examining the Belgium-Iran agreement on the transfer of convicts, which has sparked backlash.
Exiled Iranian dissidents believe the deal paves the way for the extradition to Iran and the eventual pardon of Iranian diplomat Asadullah Asadi, who was sentenced in February 2021 in Belgium to 20 years in prison for terrorism.
Asadi, an Iranian intelligence agent who was granted diplomatic immunity, was found guilty of plotting an attempted attack on June 30, 2018, in Villepinde, near Paris, against the National Council of Resistance of Iran (CNRI), an Iranian dissident coalition that is a key component of which are the People’s Mujahideen.
Van Kikenborn dismissed the CNRI’s concerns, assuring that the agreement Belgium is negotiating with Iran contains “guarantees” and “under no circumstances obligates” the signatory countries “to accept the request for transfer”.
At the same time, the Belgian minister revealed that a Belgian citizen has been detained in Iran for four months.
In Iran “human lives are at stake, these are not my words, they are the phraseology of our security services”, he underlined.
Van Kikenborn did not elaborate on the charges against the Belgian, nor did he specify whether he has already been convicted.
“I cannot say more after the express order of the family,” he explained. But “the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is closely monitoring the case, our ambassador has already visited the prisoner twice,” he added.
According to Belgian media, he is an aid worker.
The agreement signed on March 11 between Tehran and Brussels was tabled in the Belgian parliament last week. It is included in a bill that may be submitted as early as Thursday for consideration by MPs.
Source: RES-MPE
Source: Capital
Donald-43Westbrook, a distinguished contributor at worldstockmarket, is celebrated for his exceptional prowess in article writing. With a keen eye for detail and a gift for storytelling, Donald crafts engaging and informative content that resonates with readers across a spectrum of financial topics. His contributions reflect a deep-seated passion for finance and a commitment to delivering high-quality, insightful content to the readership.
