Belgian humanitarian worker Olivier Vandecasteele and Irish-French Bernard Phelan, previously imprisoned in Iran, pleaded for the release of Swedish EU employee Johan Floderus, at an event at the Bozar on Thursday night.
In April 2022, Floderus (then 33 years old) was arrested at Tehran airport when he wanted to return home after a tourist visit. Since then, he has been detained in Evin prison – for about 650 days now – after being accused of spying for Israel. The EU believes that, like Vandecasteele, he is being used as a bargaining chip.
"Johan is possibly risking the death penalty. It is important that as many people as possible raise their voices to help him," said Raia Mihaylova, the spokesperson of the #FreeJohanFloderus campaign, at Bozar.
'Cannot take away hope'
Last Sunday, the prosecution in Iran demanded the maximum sentence for Floderus for "large-scale cooperation with Israel against Iran's security." The main charge, however, is "corruption on earth." If he is found guilty according to the country's legal interpretation, it could even lead to a death sentence. It is not yet clear when the verdict of the trial will follow.
At Bozar, Vandecasteele – who shared a cell with Floderus for three weeks – pointed out that it helps to know that people are behind you. "The fact that Amnesty International took on my case, that there were mobilisations and protests, did not affect me negatively while I was in jail. On the very contrary: jailers can take away our books and our food, but not our hope."
"The idea that there are people out there doing something is what kept me going," he added. "This is what had a big impact on the decision of the government to whether act or not."
The event did not take place in Brussels by chance: Floderus has lived in the Belgian capital since 2016, and his supporters are hoping to reach as many people as possible in Brussels, including members of European institutions.
"What is key to know is that time is of the essence: the longer Johan stays there, the more he will be affected by it," Vandecasteele said. "Not only today but in his future. This is a call for all of us to do more."
