In France, his name is unknown to us. However, in Belgium, it resonates as a symbol of the cruelty of the Iranian regime. Olivier Vandecasteele, a Belgian humanitarian, has been imprisoned without valid reason since February 24, 2022 somewhere in Iran.
Dressed in a simple cotton T-shirt, in a cell where the average temperature hardly exceeds positive temperatures, Olivier Vandecasteele, who celebrated his 42nd birthday on Thursday, has been living in hell for nearly eleven months. “He is only fed rice and lentils. He has already lost more than 25 kg. […] He has had a foot infection for six months. He suffers from an earache, which gives him a searing headache. He’s had stomach problems and terrible toothaches for months. He is at the end of his strength, ”confided his sister Nathalie Vandecasteele to the Flemish media knock.
An “arbitrary” detention which “violates international law”
His crime? According to the Iranian judges, of “espionage against the Islamic Republic of Iran for the benefit of a foreign intelligence service”, of “cooperation with a hostile government, the United States, against the Islamic Republic of Iran” , “professional currency smuggling in the amount of $500,000”, and “money laundering”. For all these charges, the man was sentenced to forty years in prison and 74 lashes. An “arbitrary” detention which “violates international law”, underlined a group of independent experts from the UN in a press release on Tuesday.
Even if due to the confusion of sentences, he must serve only the highest, 12.5 years, this incarceration is not necessary, according to Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib. However, getting this head of the Iranian branch of the NGO Norwegian Refugee Council out of his jail is not an easy task.
In fact, Iran agrees to release Olivier Vandecasteele but on one condition: to exchange him for Assadollah Assadi. An Iranian diplomat, the latter was sentenced in 2021 by Belgian justice to twenty years in prison for having planned and financed an attack in France against a group of opponents of the Ali Khamenei regime, the NCRI.
A moral and political dilemma
Last summer, the government tabled a text of law allowing the transfer of the two prisoners and the amnesty of these on their return. Thus, Olivier Vandecasteele would return free and pardoned. But the same goes for Assadollah Assadi on his return to Iran.
So therein lies the dilemma. Should we give in to blackmail and release a terrorist in exchange for an innocent citizen? As François De Smet, DéFI federal deputy, explains to the LN24+the problem is “not only a question of principle, because it is therefore recognized that Belgian justice is for sale, but […] if we do that, don’t we put a price on the heads of the other Belgians who are in Iran”.
Finally, in July, the text is adopted by Parliament. But, while the family hoped for a return as soon as possible of their son, their brother, the NCRI filed an appeal before the Belgian Constitutional Court, not wishing to see Assadollah Assadi return to his terrorist activities. The Belgian high legal body accepted the appeal and suspended the entry into force of the text, the time to define whether such a law is contrary or not to the Constitution of Belgium, reviewing its final decision at the beginning of March.
The relationship between Brussels and Tehran is faltering
Now, while the state of health of the humanitarian worker is “critical” and requires “treatment and medication”, according to the group of experts attached to the UN, the release of Olivier Vandecasteele does not seem topical.
Thursday, the deputies of the Kingdom of Belgium unanimously adopted a resolution urging the government to use all diplomatic means with the Iranian authorities. However, Hadja Lahbib stressed that “relations with Iran (were) difficult”, complicating the negotiations. “We have no leverage, whether diplomatic or economic, and very few contacts,” admitted the minister in the newspaper. The Echo.
This Friday, a column urging Belgian political leaders to work for the liberation of humanitarianism was signed by around fifty Belgian public figures, relayed in the press by the DHL’Coming, Sudinfo, The evening and the Free and on social networks thanks to the hashtag #FreeOlivierVandecasteele. In Paris Match this Friday, Olivier Van Steirtegem, a close friend of the Belgian, urged the government to act: “ [La Belgique] attempts this transfer but she must do it quickly, without further delay, because Olivier’s life is at stake. No one can resist 74 lashes! “.
A rally in support of Olivier Vandecasteele and his family will take place on Sunday at 2 p.m. on the Place de l’Albertine in Brussels.