Olivier Vandecasteele: Iran jails Belgian aid worker for 28 years - family - BBC

Iran has sentenced a Belgian assistance idiosyncratic to 28 years successful situation connected chartless charges, his household has said.

Olivier Vandecasteele, 41, was arrested during a little sojourn to Tehran successful February and accused of espionage.

On Wednesday, his household said they had been informed of his condemnation astatine a gathering with Belgium's premier minister.

There was nary confirmation from Iran, but the quality comes days aft Belgium's law tribunal halted a arguable captive speech treaty.

Iran wants to swap Mr Vandecasteele for its alleged apical quality authoritative successful Europe, Assadollah Assadi. He was fixed a 20-year jailhouse condemnation successful Belgium past twelvemonth for plotting to weaponry an exiled Iranian absorption group's rally.

Mr Vandecasteele worked for six years successful Iran for the Norwegian Refugee Council and different assistance agencies.

He near the state past year, but returned successful February against Belgian authorities proposal successful bid to adjacent down his flat successful Tehran.

During the little sojourn helium was arrested by Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) operatives and taken to Tehran's notorious Evin prison, wherever a fig of European and US citizens are being detained connected spying charges.

His household allege that helium has been subjected to "inhumane conditions" that magnitude to torture portion successful detention.

They accidental helium has been kept the full clip successful solitary confinement successful a windowless basement compartment and has suffered assorted wellness problems.

On 28 November, Belgian consular officials were allowed to talk to Mr Vandecasteele for the archetypal clip successful 7 weeks, according to his family.

He told them that helium had appeared earlier a tribunal without the cognition of Belgian diplomats oregon his Iranian lawyers.

During the hearing, helium was convicted of each charges brought against him without being told what helium was alleged to person done, helium said. His court-appointed lawyer did not adjacent code the court.

Mr Vandecasteele besides told the consular officials helium had started a partial hunger onslaught successful mid-November to protestation against his treatment.

On Wednesday, his household said successful a connection that they had been told by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo that helium had been fixed a 28-year jailhouse word and that a captive swap was the lone mode to unafraid his release.

"It is nary longer a substance for statement but of beingness oregon death," the connection added. "Are we choosing to permission an guiltless Belgian successful Iran's jails until helium is 69?"

"What is going connected wrong Belgian institutions for the destiny of a Belgian unfortunate to mean nothing?"

Mr De Croo's bureau said helium had promised them to "continue to research each imaginable avenues that could pb to instrumentality of Olivier Vandecasteele".

His authorities introduced a instrumentality successful June aimed astatine ratifying the captive speech pact with Iran, which would let Assadollah Assadi to beryllium sent backmost to Tehran to service the remainder of his condemnation successful instrumentality for Mr Vandecasteele's release.

But the Iranian absorption radical targeted by Assadi and quality rights activists warned that it would interruption the close to beingness of the victims and hazard encouraging Iranian agents to transportation retired unlawful acts overseas to crush dissent.

Last Thursday, the Belgian law tribunal suspended the pact pending a last ruling wrong 3 months, saying that "Belgium knows oregon indispensable cognize that Iran volition not really enforce [Assadi's] sentence."

The Iranian overseas ministry said it was saddened that "political views" had affected bilateral ties and that it hoped the pact would beryllium allowed.