Family of Belgian aid worker imprisoned in Iran calls on Brussels to work for their son's release
The family of Olivier Fande-Castille, a Belgian aid worker who has been detained in Iran for five months, on Monday, July 10, called on Brussels to take every necessary step to secure their son's release.
Annie Fande Castille, Olivier's mother, said the Belgian government has a duty to take every necessary step to free its citizen.
In a video, while struggling to hold back tears, Ms. Fande-Castille said that her son has been away from his family since he finished his university studies to provide aid to people around the world, and now Belgian authorities are obligated to rescue him from an Iranian prison.
Annie Fande Castile added that she is looking forward to the day she can hold her son in her arms again.
Olivier Fande-Castille, 41, who spent the last five years managing the Iran sector of international relief organizations and had helped Iranians and Islamic Republic institutions in the aftermath of disasters such as earthquakes and floods, has been in detention since February of last year.
According to Belgian media reports, the Islamic Republic of Iran has detained this Belgian citizen in the infamous Evin Prison on charges of "espionage."
Some members of the Belgian Parliament have emphasized that the arrest of Mr. Fande-Castille is actually a kidnapping by the Islamic Republic of Iran to force Belgium to release Asadollah Asadi, a diplomat imprisoned by the Islamic Republic of Iran, from the prison of this European country.
A Belgian court has sentenced Mr. Asadi, who was the third secretary of the Iranian embassy in Austria at the time, to 20 years in prison for attempting to bomb a gathering of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran in Paris four years ago.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the time that Mossad, Israel's spy agency, had discovered an Iranian plot to bomb Europe and quickly informed authorities in France, Belgium, Austria, and Germany.
The Belgian government has now asked the Brussels parliament to “urgently” approve a treaty in its open session that, according to some Brussels media outlets, could pave the way for the return of Olivier Fande-Castille in a possible deal against Assadollah Assadi. The bill is scheduled to be voted on in the Belgian parliament on July 15.
The Belgian Parliament's Foreign Policy Committee approved the bill last week, despite facing a wave of public opposition, letters of protest from a number of US Congress members, and protests from global human rights organizations.
Natalie Fande-Castille, Olivier's sister, said in a video released by the family on July 10, alongside her mother, that Olivier, while innocent, has been held in solitary confinement for the past five months and that his spirit is worn out.
He told Belgian authorities that Olivier now needs the support of his country's government and that the Fonde Castille family cannot imagine that Brussels will refrain from taking the necessary steps to free their citizen.
The detainee's sister said that the Belgian consul in Tehran was able to meet Olivier twice in Evin, and the diplomat informed the family that Olivier had lost a lot of weight and had an infection in his leg.
International organizations and human rights defenders emphasize that the Islamic Republic of Iran is using innocent people as hostages and to exchange them for its prisoners.
Source: Radio Farda
