The 'British Committee for the Freedom of Iran' Strongly Condemns the Release of Assadollah Assadi

The 'British Committee for the Freedom of Iran' has strongly condemned the Belgian government's decision to release Assadollah Assadi, an Iranian diplomat convicted of terrorism, and allow his return to Iran before the end of his sentence. In a statement, the committee noted that the Belgian government's decision to exchange Assadi for a Belgian citizen imprisoned in Iran on 'fabricated charges' severely undermines ongoing global efforts to 'hold the regime accountable for exporting terrorism and unacceptable behavior both domestically and internationally.' David Alton, co-chair of the organization and member of the House of Lords in the UK, stated that Assadi's release 'encourages terrorism and undermines human rights by ignoring the ruling of the constitutional court.' He added, 'The Prime Minister of Belgium sends the wrong message to a savage regime.' Bob Blackman, a member of the House of Commons and co-chair of the International Committee of Parliamentarians for a Democratic Iran, expressed shock and dismay at this decision, which only emboldens the Iranian government as the world's leading sponsor of terrorism. He described Assadi's release, which coincided with the thwarting of 15 plots of conspiracy and kidnapping by agents of the Islamic Republic in the UK, as alarming, stating that this action not only allowed Assadi to escape justice and accountability but also rewarded the 'unacceptable and illegal diplomacy of hostage-taking' by the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic and Belgium exchanged Assadi, the Iranian diplomat convicted of involvement in a terrorist act, and Olivier Vandecasteele, a Belgian humanitarian worker imprisoned in Iran, on Friday, June 5, following mediation by the Sultanate of Oman. Assadi was sentenced to twenty years in prison by a Belgian court for his role in a bombing operation against a gathering of the Mojahedin-e Khalq organization in Paris. Olivier Vandecasteele, a 42-year-old Belgian humanitarian worker, was arrested by the Islamic Republic's security forces in February 2022 and sentenced to '40 years' in prison on charges of 'espionage.' Western countries have labeled the imprisonment of their citizens by the Islamic Republic as 'political hostage-taking' and have repeatedly called on the regime to end this 'cruel' practice. However, the Islamic Republic continues to detain and imprison Western and dual-national citizens on charges such as 'espionage' and 'actions against national security' without providing any evidence. The exchange of prisoners between Iran and Belgium saw the release of the Belgian humanitarian worker and the imprisoned diplomat Assadollah Assadi. Amnesty International criticized Assadi's release, stating that this action endangers opponents of the Islamic Republic. Prince Reza Pahlavi remarked that exchanging prisoners with the Islamic Republic encourages the regime to engage in more hostage-taking. Darya Safai told Voice of America that Assadi is a released terrorist, and this day is a 'very bitter and dark' one.