The Constitutional Court will further examine the Belgian-Iranian treaty on Wednesday. After having suspended the treaty in December, the Constitutional Court will decide whether or not the treaty should be permanently discarded.
The treaty could result in the return of Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele who has been held hostage in Tehran for a year. Vandecasteele, was sentenced to 40 years in prison by a court in Tehran. Since his arrest, he has been in a windowless room with no furniture in an unknown location and has lost at least 15 kilos and his health has remained in poor condition.
The 41-year-old has been deprived of his right to a fair trial before an independent and impartial tribunal. UN experts say that Vandecasteele's health is in critical condition due to his imprisonment conditions.
Furthermore, the police force who arrested Vandecasteele failed to provide a warrant and were dressed in plain clothing. He was denied access to a lawyer and was not allowed to communicate with his family once he was arrested.
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The treaty provides a legal way to transfer an imprisoned and convicted person in Iran back to Belgium. It would entail the exchange of Vandecasteele for Iranian diplomat, Assadollah Assadi. Assadi was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Antwerp for plotting a bomb attack against a rally organised by Iranian protesters near Paris.
While many support the treaty's passing, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) – an pressure group against the current Iranian regime – opposes this treaty over their belief it is unacceptable to transfer Assadi.
Vandecasteele's family is hopeful that the treaty will pass and that their loved one can be returned home safely.
