iran belgium

I a e voy d ops appeal o jail i Belgium, o p iso e swap see

Belgia lawye Dimi i de Beco, ep ese i g I a ia diploma Assadollah Assadi who was cha ged i Belgium wi h pla i g o bomb a mee i g of a exiled I a ia opposi io g oup i F a ce, speaks o he media ou side a cou buildi g i A we p, Belgium May 5, 2021. REUTERSCleme Rossig ol

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ANTWERP, Belgium, May 5 (Reu e s) – A I a ia diploma se e ced o 20 yea s i p iso fo pla i g a bomb a ack i F a ce has d opped a appeal i Belgium a d will se ve his se e ce, his ep ese a ive said o Wed esday.

Belgia au ho i ies have said hey will oppose a y po e ial swap deal wi h Wes e p iso e s, lawye s said.

Assadolah Assadi was fou d guil y of a emp ed e o ism i Feb ua y af e a foiled plo o bomb a 2018 ally of he Na io al Cou cil of Resis a ce of I a (NCRI), a F e ch-based disside g oup.

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I was he fi s ime a I a ia official had bee ied fo suspec ed e o ism i Eu ope si ce I a ‘s 1979 evolu io .

This has bee a poli ical ial si ce he begi i g a d he does o wa o pa icipa e a y lo ge , Assadi’s lawye Dimi i de Beco old epo e s i A we p, whe e he was se e ced o Feb. 4. ead mo e

Judges had uled ha diploma ic immu i y as hi d cou sello a I a ‘s embassy i Vie a did o p o ec Assadi f om cha ges of usi g he pos fo s a e-spo so ed e o ism.

I i s uli g, he Belgia cou said he a a s a e i ellige ce e wo k. Assadi bough explosives fo he Pa is plo wi h him o a comme cial fligh o Aus ia f om I a , i said.

I a ‘s missio o he EU said i a s a eme ha Belgium had b oke i e a io al law a d ha Teh a ese ved he igh o eso o all legal mecha isms.

DELICATE EU-IRAN RELATIONS

Assadi did o a e d his cou hea i gs o se e ci g, which was held behi d closed doo s i high secu i y.

He was a es ed i Ge ma y bu Belgium ag eed o hold he se si ive ial because wo of he o he suspec s we e Belgia -I a ia a io als a d we e a es ed i Belgium.

A hi d was a es ed i F a ce. All h ee we e give lo g se e ces.

Lawye s fo he NCRI said he e we e gua a ees f om he Belgia s a e ha he e would be o swap of Assadi fo Wes e p iso e s i I a , ci i g a sepa a io of powe s be wee judicial a d poli ical decisio s a d a w i e gua a ee f om he Belgia gove me .

We believe ha he (Assadi) saw o legal o fac ual a gume a io o imp ove his posi io , lawye Rik Va eusel old epo e s i A we p.

Belgium’s fo eig mi is y did o immedia ely comme .

Eu opea gove me s have said hey ca o ig o e e o ism, i cludi g wo killi gs i he Ne he la ds a d a failed assassi a io a emp i De ma k, which hey blamed o I a .

The Islamic Republic has dismissed all e o ism cha ges, calli g he Pa is a ack allega io s a false flag s u by he NCRI, which i co side s a e o is g oup.

NCRI chief Ma yam Rajavi called o he EU o sa c io I a ia i ellige ce officials a d eli e comma de s.

Bu few EU gove me s o he ha F a ce have comme ed publicly o he se e ci g i Feb ua y. The bloc chai s i di ec alks be wee he U i ed S a es a d I a o ejuve a e a 2015 acco d aimed a co ai i g Teh a ‘s uclea p og amme.

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Ou S a da ds: The Thomso Reu e s T us P i ciples.

The e is mou i g evide ce o i dica e ha I a ia au ho i ies a e commi i g he c ime of hos age- aki g agai s Ahmad eza Djalali, a Swedish-I a ia academic who is a isk of immi e execu io i Teh a ’s Evi p iso , Am es y I e a io al said oday. De ailed esea ch a d a alysis by he o ga iza io aise se ious co ce s ha he I a ia au ho i ies a e h ea e i g o execu e Ahmad eza Djalali o compel Belgium a d Swede o ha d ove wo imp iso ed fo me officials, a d o de e hem a d o he s f om fu u e p osecu io s of I a ia officials.

The wo fo me officials a e Asadollah Asadi, a fo me I a ia diploma , who is se vi g a 20-yea p iso se e ce i Belgium fo his ole i a hwa ed  ۲۰۱۸ bomb a ack i F a ce; a d Hamid Nou i, a fo me p iso official, who is o ial i Swede fo his alleged i volveme i I a ’s 1988 p iso massac es, wi h he ou come expec ed o 14 July.

“The I a ia au ho i ies a e usi g Ahmad eza Djalali’s life as a paw i a c uel poli ical game, escala i g hei h ea s o execu e him i e alia io fo hei dema ds goi g u me . The au ho i ies a e a emp i g o pe ve he cou se of jus ice i Swede a d Belgium, a d should be i ves iga ed fo he c ime of hos age aki g,” said Dia a El ahawy, Am es y I e a io al’s Depu y Di ec o fo he Middle Eas a d No h Af ica.

“The I a ia au ho i ies mus hal a y pla s o execu e Ahmad eza Djalali, elease him immedia ely a d offe epa a io s fo he ha m hey have caused him.” 

B each of Hos ages Co ve io

I a , Swede a d Belgium a e all pa ies o he I e a io al Co ve io Agai s he Taki g of Hos ages, which c imi alizes ac s of hos age- aki g commi ed by s a e a d o -s a e ac o s. The Co ve io defi es hos age- aki g as he de e io of a y pe so accompa ied by h ea s o kill, i ju e o co i ue o de ai hem, u less ce ai co di io s a e me by a hi d pa y. The co di io s may be se explici ly o implici ly.

Am es y I e a io al’s esea ch shows ha , ega dless of he I a ia au ho i ies’ i i ial mo iva io s fo a bi a ily de ai i g Ahmad eza Djalali i Ap il 2016, si ce a leas la e 2020, he si ua io a sfo med i o o e of hos age- aki g whe Asadollah Asadi’s ial i Belgium bega .

The I a ia au ho i ies a e usi g Ahmad eza Djalali’s life as a paw i a c uel poli ical game, escala i g hei h ea s o execu e him i e alia io fo hei dema ds goi g u me .

O 24 Novembe 2020, Ahmad eza Djalali was moved o soli a y co fi eme a d old ha his execu io would be ca ied ou i a week. The a sfe ook place jus days befo e he ial of Asadollah Asadi was due o s a i Belgium o 27 Novembe 2020. Af e global i e ve io s, Ahmad eza Djalali’s execu io was pos po ed o 2 Decembe 2020.

O 4 May 2022, days af e p osecu i g au ho i ies i Swede sough a life se e ce fo Hamid Nou i, I a ia s a e media wa ed of Ahmad eza Djalali’s loomi g execu io . The epo s fu he s a ed ha “i ca yi g ou he dea h se e ce of Ahmad eza Djalali, he gove me of I a will… ba he gove me of Swede f om u de aki g fu he ac io s simila o he de e io of Hamid Nou i.”

Acco di g o Ahmad eza Djalali’s wife, judicial officials old his lawye s o 7 May 2022 ha hey had ac ed i “good fai h” by pos po i g his execu io o ce i Decembe 2020. Howeve , she said hey added ha by a es i g a d p osecu i g Hamid Nou i, Swede had joi ed fo ces wi h I a ’s “e emies” a d c ea ed “ oubles” fo he Islamic Republic sys em a d his had lef I a wi h “ o op io ” bu ca y ou he execu io .

These ema ks, oge he wi h s a e media a icles published o 4 May 2022, p ovide compelli g evide ce ha Ahmad eza Djalali is a isk of a e alia o y impleme a io of he dea h pe al y, which I a ia au ho i ies also appea o view as ecessa y o de e fu he a es s a d p osecu io s of I a ia officials ou side I a .

Am es y I e a io al has also lea ed f om mul iple c edible sou ces ha I a ia officials have p iva ely sugges ed o a leas o e occasio o Ahmad eza Djalali i p iso a d o mul iple occasio s o hose advoca i g o his behalf ha hey a e seeki g o swap Ahmad eza Djalali fo Asadollah Asadi a do Hamid Nou i.

O he c i ical evide ce i cludes public comme s made by Belgia officials i ea ly 2021 as well as Ma ch 2022, which hi ha he I a ia au ho i ies a e pu sui g a “deal” o swap Ahmadd eza Djalali fo Asadollah Asadi.

P io o his a es , Ahmad eza Djlali lived wi h his family i Swede a d was also a visi i g p ofesso i disas e medici e a he V ije U ive si ei B ussels i Belgium. 

I a ia au ho i ies have a lo g his o y of usi g a bi a ily de ai ed dual a d fo eig a io als as leve age, as highligh ed by he UN Special Rappo eu o he si ua io of huma igh s i I a a d he UN Wo ki g G oup o A bi a y De e io .

Am es y I e a io al calls fo he es ablishme of a effec ive, a spa e , a d i depe de i qui y i o he si ua io of Ahmad eza Djalali, i acco da ce wi h he I e a io al Co ve io Agai s Taki g of Hos ages, o i ves iga e evide ce poi i g o hos age- aki g. Give he p evaili g clima e of impu i y i I a , such a i qui y should be es ablished, ei he joi ly o sepa a ely, by Swede a d Belgium as he s a es agai s which compulsio has bee di ec ed o a emp ed.

“Hos age- aki g is a offe ce of g ave co ce o he i e a io al commu i y. If i is es ablished ha he I a ia au ho i ies have pe pe a ed his c ime agai s Ahmad eza Djalali, all s a e pa ies o he Co ve io Agai s Taki g of Hos ages mus u ge ly wo k oge he o hold I a o accou a d e su e p eve io , p osecu io a d pu ishme of such ac s of hos age- aki g,” said Dia a El ahawy.

Backg ou d

I Oc obe 2017, Ahmad eza Djalali was se e ced o dea h fo “co up io o ea h” (efsad-e fel-a z) h ough “espio age” followi g a g ossly u fai ial befo e B a ch 15 of he Revolu io a y Cou i Teh a . The cou elied p ima ily o “co fessio s” which Ahmad eza Djalali says we e ob ai ed h ough o u e a d o he ill- ea me while he was held i soli a y co fi eme a d de ied access o a lawye .

I Novembe 2017, he UN Wo ki g G oup o A bi a y De e io called o I a o immedia ely elease Ahmad eza Djalali a d offe him he igh o compe sa io a d o he epa a io s. 

O 16 Ma ch 2022, I a ia au ho i ies allowed cha i y wo ke Naza i Zagha i-Ra cliffe o leave I a , af e he UK gove me paid I a £۳۹۳٫۸ millio i o de o se le a deb dispu e. Am es y I e a io al will be eleasi g he fi di gs of i s i ves iga io i o he ci cums a ces of he six-yea a bi a y de e io a d elease wi hi he f amewo k of he I e a io al Co ve io Agai s Taki g of Hos ages i he comi g weeks.