Belgian court lifts ban on Assadollah Asadi's extradition to Iran

The Belgian news agency Belga reported on Tuesday, October 3, that a Belgian court has lifted a ban on the extradition of Assadollah Asadi, an Iranian diplomat convicted of terrorist crimes in the country.

The ruling paves the way for the controversial exchange of Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecastille, who has been imprisoned in Iran since February, with Mr. Assadi.

The exchange of these two prisoners is part of an agreement between Iran and Belgium that has faced much criticism.

Last July, the Belgian parliament approved a prisoner exchange agreement between the two countries, despite widespread criticism. But the same month, the opposition was able to obtain a temporary injunction from a Belgian court to prevent the extradition of Assadollah Assadi.

The extradition ban was not extended on Tuesday, but the Belgian court's ruling is still subject to appeal.

Critics of the Islamic Republic accuse the Belgian government of capitulating to Iran's "authoritarian" regime and paving the way for future blackmail. But the Belgian prime minister has rejected criticism of the deal, saying the Belgian government will do everything in its power to free its citizen, who is innocently imprisoned.

A Belgian court last year upheld a 20-year prison sentence for Asadollah Asadi on charges of planning an attack on a gathering of supporters and members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization in France in 2018. Mr. Asadi is accused of having worked as a diplomat at the Iranian embassy in Vienna and is named in the indictment by Belgian prosecutors as the leader of the operation against the gathering of supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization.

Meanwhile, Asadollah Asadi's connection with the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence has also fueled controversy, to the extent that the French government has accused the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence of designing and implementing this conspiracy.

Source: Radio Farda