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Iran sentences Belgian to 40 years, lashes over 'espionage'

January 10, 2023

The Belgian Foreign Ministry said it would summon the Iranian ambassador in protest. Iran also issued its 18th death sentence related to the ongoing protests.

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Olivier Vandecasteele is a Belgian humanitarian worker who has worked for more than six years in Iran for international NGOs.
The Belgian aid worker was slammed a 40-year prison sentence and 74 lashes over 'espionage' and other chargesImage: Handout Familie Vandecasteele/BELGA/AFP/Getty Images

Iran said on Tuesday that a Belgian citizen was sentenced to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes over charges of "espionage," coordinating with the US government, money laundering, and currency smuggling.

Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele was also fined $1 million (€931,030), the Iranian judiciary website said on Tuesday.

Brussels lambasted the sentence, vowing to summon the Iranian ambassador on Tuesday in protest.

Nathalie Vandecasteele speaks to journalists during a press conference on December 9, 2022 in Brussels, on her brother, aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele.
Brussels was aware of Vandecasteele's sentence, but thought it was 12 years shorterImage: Nicolas Maeterlinck/BELGA/AFP

Though Belgium was aware of Vandecasteele's sentence since December, it reported a shorter prison sentence of 28 years.

The justice minister had said then that the sentence was in retribution for a 20-year jail term an Iranian diplomat was served by Belgian courts in 2021 for plotting to attack an Iranian opposition group near Paris in 2018.

How has Belgium reacted?

Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said in a statement posted on Twitter on Tuesday that Iran never communicated any official information regarding Vandecasteele's charges or trial.

"Belgium continues to condemn this arbitrary detention and is doing everything possible to put an end to it and to improve the conditions of his detention," she said.

Iran said the verdicts can be appealed in court within 20 days. As per Iranian laws, Vandecasteele would be eligible for release after 12.5 years, The Associated Press news agency said.

More harsh sentences

Separately on Tuesday, the Islamic Republic issued another protest-related death sentence, bringing to 18 the number of those sentenced to death since nationwide protests started some four months ago. This includes four executions.

Tuesday's latest death sentence was against Javad Rouhi, a man described by the judiciary website as a "leader of rioters," which is how Iran describes its protesters. He was faced with a long list of charges, including "corruption on earth."

Protests broke out in September last year, after the death of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini while in police custody.

On Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani accused the Iranian regime of "weaponizing" the death sentence and other criminal proceedings.

She condemned the execution of four individuals, saying their trials were "tantamount to arbitrary deprivation of life" as they failed to meet the minimum guarantees of fair trial and due process.

The UN also opposes the death penalty on principle in any circumstances, though only a little more than half of its members have abolished capital punishment completely. 

rmt/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)