Humanitarian worker Olivier Vandecasteele was last week sentenced to 28 years in prison after a mock trial in Iran. Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Open Vld) and Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne (Open Vld) told Vandecasteele's family on Tuesday.
Vandecasteele has been imprisoned in Iran for the last nine months. Last week, the Constitutional Court suspended the Belgian-Iranian prisoner exchange deal that would have enabled the transfer of convicted Iranian terrorist Assadollah Assadi from Belgium to Iran.
De Croo, Lahbib and Van Quickenborne have all spoken with the family, according to a statement. They stressed that the government was "by Olivier's side from day one."
"That remains the case and that was confirmed to his loved ones on Tuesday. We have expressed our support for Olivier's family and our condolences for his plight," said De Croo.
Unclear charges
Despite the government's support, efforts to repatriate Vandecasteele to Belgium fell through. The charges against him are unclear but should he serve the full sentence Vandecasteele will be released in 2050 when he is 69 years old.
De Croo, Lahbib and Van Quickenborne pointed out that they "will continue to explore all possible avenues that could lead to the return of Olivier Vandecasteele to Belgium," the statement read.
The State Department will keep monitoring his situation closely and stay in close contact with the family in the weeks ahead.
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The Belgian-Iranian deal would have permitted a prisoner swap between Vandecasteele and Assadi, which some Belgian authorities pushed for to ensure Vandecasteele's release.
The Constitutional Court will continue looking into the case as the treaty's suspension is only temporary. In the next three months, the Court will consider if text should be discarded completely.
