Iran has imposed a 28-year jail term on a Belgian aid worker, stirring a bitter debate over a stalled prisoner exchange treaty between Tehran and Brussels.
Belgian ministers briefed 41-year-old Olivier Vandecasteele's distraught family late Tuesday after learning about the sentence from a call with Iran's justice minister.
"At the end of November we learned he would be sentenced in Iran to a prison term of 28 years for a series of fabricated crimes," justice minister Vincent Van Quickenborne told parliament.
Vandecasteele was arrested in February and is reportedly being held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, in conditions Van Quickenborne described as "inhumane".
Belgium insists he is innocent, effectively held as a hostage in Tehran's efforts to force Belgium to release an Iranian agent convicted of terrorism.
Otage belge en Iran : la Cour constitutionnelle suspend la possibilité d’échanger Olivier Vandecasteele contre un détenu iranien en Belgique - https://t.co/FGUsWh4eM6 https://t.co/mVB9jspBE9
— Philippe Walkowiak (@PhWalkowiak) December 8, 2022
Prisoner exchange programme
The justice minister told the Belgian parliament's justice committee, "Mr. Vandecasteele's arrest is a direct consequence of the condemnation of the [Iranian] diplomat by our country.
"Since the arrest of this person ... the threat emanating from Iran has greatly increased," he added.
News of Vandecasteele's sentence, which has not been publicly confirmed by Iranian authorities, has revived debate in Belgium over a prisoner exchange treaty with Iran.
In the past, Prime Minister Alexander De Croo's government has described this as the only option for a transfer.
The treaty was signed with Iran earlier this year and, while not tailored explicitly for Vandecasteele, the justice minister confirmed that he would have been eligible for exchange.
But last week, Belgium's constitutional court suspended the implementation of treaty pending a final ruling on its legality within the next three months.
Family 'devastated'
A spokesman for Vandecasteele's family has said they are devastated by the sentence, underlining "There's no Plan B."
"If there's no solution he could stay in prison until 2050. He'll be almost 70," he said, urging Belgium to find a way to revive the prisoner exchange treaty.
No details on the charges against Vandecasteele have been given by the Iranian authorities.
Meanwhile, some Belgian opposition MPs and foreign policy experts have warned that the prisoner exchange treaty would only increase the threat posed by rogue regimes seeking to kidnap Belgian citizens as collateral.
However, the Belgian government has no other option on how to free the aid worker.
