Two Iranian brothers filmed protesting by the Iranian delegation that attended the Brussels Urban Summit have stated that their mother has subsequently been detained and interrogated in Iran, Het Laatste Nieuws reports.
One of the two men has blamed "the naive Foreign Minister" Hadja Lahbib for granting visas to the Iranian delegation. He said that "the visit of the 14 Iranian officials has damaged our safety in Belgium as well as that of our families in Iran."
As previously reported, the Iranian representatives included the ultra-conservative mayor of Tehran Alireza Zakani, also known as the "butcher of Tehran" for his part in the violent repression and torture of civilians. The delegation was invited to the Brussels Urban Summit at the behest of Brussels' Secretary of State Pascal Smet, who later resigned over the incident.
The controversy also engulfed Belgium's Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib after her part in securing the 14 visas for the delegation emerged. Many called for Lahbib to resign, especially after a report revealed that some Iranian officials had filmed protestors against their country's regime to gather intel on the opposition.
Activists were worried that these photos would reveal lead to protestors being identified and jeopardize the safety of their relatives in Iran. Their fears appear to have been confirmed as two Iranian protestors living in Belgium allege that their mother was arrested in Iran.
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While Het Laatste Nieuws has been unable to confirm the story due to security fears for the protestors' mother, one of her sons gave a harrowing testimony of the "mental torture" she has endured. He claimed that his 67-year-old mother was arrested by Iranian security services on Monday evening and interrogated for almost four hours.
Interrogators showed her pictures of her sons protesting in Belgium, photos most likely taken by members of the invited delegation. She was asked why her sons were protesting and was ordered to tell her sons to stop the protests, threatening her with a 20-year prison sentence if she failed to comply.
For the safety of their family in Iran, the brothers have cut contact with relatives there.
Tweet translation: "What about human rights? Two Iranians who took part in a demonstration in Brussels testify: Our mother in Iran was attacked by the Iranian secret service on Monday night."
The latest revelation may still impact Lahbib's political future, with one of the sons blaming her for his mother's arrest. "Because of the naive minister, our safety in Belgium as well as that of our family in Iran has been damaged," he told Het Laatste Nieuws.
Moreover, Lahbib's left-leaning partners in government, who had reluctantly agreed to support her case, are once again calling for her to resign.
The Socialist Party's (PS) parliamentary leader Ahmed Laaouej told LN24 that "she must step aside" due to "people being in danger in Iran because of the visas she granted." The French-speaking greens seemed to agree, with Gilles Vanden Burre (Ecolo) stating that "the situation is no longer tenable and the Foreign Minister needs to take responsibility."
