Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele – who has been held in an Iranian cell since 24 February 2022 – has gone on a hunger strike to protest the "inhumane treatment" of his imprisonment, his family and friends report in a press release.
Belgian consular services were able to speak with Vandecasteele again yesterday, after seven weeks without news. The conversation revealed that the aid worker has now spent "278 days in complete isolation in a windowless basement cell."
According to his family, these "inhumane conditions" amount to torture. "His health problems are increasing, including significant weight loss, blood pockets on his toes, loss of fingernails and worrisome dental and stomach problems," it sounds.
His resilience and psychological state have also deteriorated significantly. According to his family, Vandecasteele has also been on a hunger strike for 14 days, consuming only some bread and water in the morning.
No legal representation
During the interview, Vandecasteele further reported that he had appeared before a court without notifying the Belgian authorities and his Iranian lawyers.
During that hearing, the complaints against him were retained, without knowing their exact nature. Olivier’s family and friends therefore ask the Iranian authorities "to show restraint and balance in their treatment of Olivier."
At the same time, they reiterate the call for the Belgian government to do everything in its power to secure his release. The Chamber had already given the green light to the controversial prisoner exchange with Iran in July.
