2023-09-16 13:54:48
Olivier Vandecasteele first underlined with great emotion that this distinction was given to him just one year after the death of Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian Kurd who died in Iran after her arrest by the moral police, for non-compliance with strict obligations. Islamic clothing.
“I accept this distinction with gratitude, but also with discomfort because there are many people I met in detention who are still there,” he underlined.
“In my cell, for more than thirteen months, in the absence of human contact other than with my executioners, and despite repeated requests from the Belgian government, I never had access to a window that could offer a little natural light or a landmark during the day,” he continued. “We call it ‘white torture’, it leaves no physical marks, but attacks psychological integrity.”
Paying tribute to all the “forgotten” people to whom he could never be “unfaithful”, the humanitarian worker also highlighted “the beauty” of the support on which he was able to count. “This wave of emotions in Europe, in Belgium, with Wallonia as the epicenter, which shouted ‘stop’ in the face of the absurd.”
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“Those who have been fighting in Iran for a year to demand a little more freedom are also victims of ‘arbitrariness’. So, I hope that you authorize me to dedicate this award to these resilient people, to these young people who are forging themselves in the face of risks, in ordeal, against and against repression. It is and will remain the future of the country. There is nothing wrong with wanting freedom, there is no crime in seeking justice. I therefore ask you to continue to support them,” he concluded, still addressing members of the Walloon government.
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