Pressure from the Iranian regime on Belgian justice
Since the verdict pronounced in 2021, the Iranian authorities have continued to put pressure on Belgium to try to obtain the release of their agent.
The Iranian regime tried to exert its influence on the Belgian judicial system, after having warned that it would not recognize the judgment, while affirming that the procedure initiated was not “not legitimate, due to diplomatic immunity” of Assadollah Assadi. Subsequently, he withdrew his appeal, convinced that he would one day be transferred to Iran.
The tone has become urgent. Last May, the Iranian foreign affairs spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, called on Belgium to “immediately release Assadollah Assadi”.
Now the Iranians are using arbitrary detention as a means of blackmail, even a bargaining chip.
A bill to transfer Assadolah Assadi to Iran, in exchange for the Belgian “hostage”?
Negotiations took place between Sophie Wilmès and the Iranian authorities to obtain the release of the Belgian citizen, in vain. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo then met in Davos with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
For the Iranian regime, all it takes is a snap of the fingers to make an exchange. But Belgium is a State of law. And if there is an agreement, the exchange will have to have a legal basis. For the government,given the situation“, it is in any case one of the possible diplomatic options.
On June 29, the Minister of Justice, Vincent Van Quickenborne urgently tabled a bill consisting of five treaties, in particular mutual legal assistance with India and the United Arab Emirates. One of them, made in Brussels on March 11, 2022 between Belgium and the Islamic Republic of Iran, relates to “transfer of sentenced persons“.
This bill will be examined tomorrow in the Foreign Relations Committee to be voted on Thursday.