Belgium aid worker freed in prisoner swap with Iranian diplomat jailed for bomb plot
Source: The Guardian
Belgium aid worker freed in prisoner swap with Iranian diplomat jailed for bomb plot
Deal to release Olivier Vandecasteele in exchange for Assadollah Assadi raises concerns Tehran’s hostage diplomacy has been rewarded
Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor
Fri 26 May 2023 15.34 BST
Last modified on Fri 26 May 2023 17.02 BST
A Belgian aid worker jailed in Tehran has been released in a prisoner swap with an Iranian diplomat who had been sentenced to 20 years in jail for his role in a plan to bomb an Iranian opposition rally in Paris in 2018.
Assadollah Assadi had served just over two years of his 20-year sentence, and his release will raise questions about whether Iranian hostage diplomacy – the practice of seizing dual nationals as bargaining chips – has been rewarded by the Belgian authorities. The final stages of the deal were negotiated by Oman, but Belgium had been negotiating with Iran over the fate of the diplomat for much longer.
Olivier Vandecasteele was arrested in February 2022 and his release was confirmed by Belgium’s prime minister, Alexander De Croo, who said the aid worker had been taken to Oman for medical checks with Belgian diplomatic staff.
“Olivier spent 455 days in prison in Tehran. In unbearable conditions. Innocent,” De Croo wrote. “Olivier Vandecasteele’s return to Belgium is a relief. A relief for his family, friends and colleagues.” In a lengthy written statement, De Croo made no mention of the price paid for Vandecasteele’s release.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/26/belgium-aid-worker-freed-in-prisoner-swap-with-iranian-diplomat-jailed-for-bomb-plot-httpsviewergutoolscoukpreviewworld2023may26belgium-aid-worker-freed-in-prisoner-swap-with-iranian-diplomat-jailed-for-bomb-plot
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