2023-06-02 18:49:22
As Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo announced on Friday, the three men were brought to Belgium after successful mediation through Oman. At about the same time, the Federal Chancellery and the Foreign Ministry announced that Kamran Ghaderi and Massoud Mossaheb were on their way back to Austria after years of imprisonment.
A Belgian development worker was released from Iranian custody last week. The releases are part of a controversial exchange with Tehran: In return, an Iranian diplomat convicted of terrorism in Belgium was released. This had been convicted in Belgium for a foiled attack on Iranian exile opposition members.
allegation of espionage
The two Austrian-Iranian dual citizens had been sentenced to years in prison for alleged espionage. The Viennese IT expert Ghaderi had therefore been in prison in Tehran since 2016. Mossaheb, Secretary General of the Austro-Iranian Society, was arrested during a visit to Tehran in early 2019.
The two had spent 2,709 and 1,586 days in Iranian detention, according to the Foreign Ministry. Since Iran does not allow the renunciation of Iranian citizenship, dual nationals who are critical of the regime are repeatedly targeted by the Iranian authorities.
Nehammer: “Huge success”
Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) spoke of a “huge diplomatic success”. Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) wrote in a broadcast: “This is a very moving day for all of us.” According to the Chancellor and Foreign Minister, the release of Ghaderi and Mossaheb was mediated by Belgium and Oman. Nehammer and Schallenberg thanked Prime Minister De Croo, Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib and Omani Foreign Minister Sajjid Badr al-Busaidi for their support.
Amnesty International also welcomed the release. The releases are an example of “that joint efforts to defend human rights can lead to positive results”.
Ghaderie and Mossaheb were sentenced to years in prison after months of solitary confinement, torture and an unfair trial. Like Nehammer and Schallenberg, Amnesty emphasized that the release was a “great relief” for both of them and their relatives.
Belgium and Oman helped mediate
Belgian humanitarian worker Olivier Vandecasteele was released last week. In return, the Iranian diplomat Asadollah Assadi, who was imprisoned in Belgium and formerly stationed in Vienna, was exchanged.
Third Austrian still in custody
Schallenberg emphasized that Austria would continue to work for the release of a third Austrian citizen whose appeals process in Iran is currently underway. The man was sentenced in February to seven and a half years in prison for alleged espionage.
Political and moral dilemma
The prisoner exchange has met with some fierce criticism, not least from human rights activists. The German activist Düzen Tekkal spoke of a “dirty deal” at the end of May. Among other things, there are fears that the government in Tehran could in future use Western prisoners as a bargaining chip with Western countries. At least 16 Western citizens are currently being held in Iran, most of whom also have Iranian passports.
Amnesty, which welcomed the liberation, also warned of Iran’s “hostage diplomacy”. The aid organization asked the Austrian authorities to check whether the detention of Ghaderi and Mossaheb constituted a criminal offense of hostage-taking. Those responsible would have to be held accountable “through public statements as well as through investigations and criminal prosecutions”.
In reality, it is often difficult for governments to maintain a fundamental opposition to prisoner exchanges with non-democratic regimes. Even states like the USA and Israel, which fundamentally reject such exchanges, have repeatedly deviated from their basic line in the past.
Timely Response
Exactly three days ago, by the way, Schallenberg’s answer to a – not the first – NEOS request from the end of March as to what the Foreign Ministry was doing to release the Austrian prisoners in Iran was received in Parliament. It referred to formal and informal contacts and discussions. And at the end, Schallenberg emphasized that he “requests your understanding that not all of our activities are described in detail in the context of this query response, so as not to jeopardize the success of the ongoing measures”.
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