The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran), reported that last month, the Belgian court trying Iranian regime terrorist diplomat Assadollah Assadi and his accomplices announced the verdict.
Assadi was given the maximum prison sentence
Assadi was given the maximum prison sentence demanded by prosecutors. This was a major blow to the Iranian regime because it was an acknowledgment of its state-sponsored terror activities.
The regime tried hard to stop the trial going ahead, firstly trying to convince the court that Assadi’s diplomatic immunity should be considered, and then eventually resorting to blackmail and threats. Nevertheless, the trial went ahead and the judicial process ended last month.
Djalali was taken, hostage
In the meantime, the Iranian regime announced that Iranian-Swedish doctor Ahmadreza Djalali was to be given the death sentence. Djalali, a lecturer at Brussels Free University, was taken hostage by security forces in Iran when he went there on a visit.
The Iranian regime has linked the Assadi case with that of Djalali, threatening to execute the lecturer at the end of last year if the authorities in Belgium did not release Assadi. Of course, this led to concerns about Djalali’s fate when Assadi was convicted.
Indeed, the Iranian regime was not happy when Assadi was convicted at the beginning of February and it summoned the Belgian ambassador and made clear its discontent with the situation.
Belgian Minister considered no link between the cases
At a parliamentary committee hearing on Foreign Affairs earlier this week, the Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sophie Wilmès reiterated that Assadi’s conviction and the pronunciation of Djalali’s death sentence by the regime are separate cases and should not be considered linked.
She emphasized during the hearing that for Belgium there is no link between the cases, echoing the words of Minister of Justice Vincent Van Quickenborne who had previously said the same.
Belgium is wholly opposed to the death penalty for Djalali
The Belgian Foreign Affairs Minister said that despite the country not considering the cases linked, there is a great concern for Djalali. She said: “But that, of course, does not diminish our concern for Mr. Djalali’s fate”, especially given the reports about his fragile health.
Wilmès emphasized that Belgium is wholly opposed to the death penalty and this was communicated by her to Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif recently.
Wilmès highlighted that the relations between Iran and Belgium are difficult at the minute, but Belgium is going to continue expressing its views on issues that are of concern, including Iran’s regional policy, its domestic human rights situation, and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Belgium did not give in to the mullah regime’s threats and blackmail
A number of Members of Parliament present at the hearing praised Belgium for not giving in to the regime’s threats and blackmail. Chair of the committee Els Van Hoof said that it is positive that there has been no prisoner exchange and that this type of action should never be facilitated.
Speaking about the Assadi case and the conviction, she also reminded the committee that the judge pronounced Assadi and his co-conspirators guilty on the charge of activities in a terrorist organization and attempted terrorist murder.
The court also stated that the bomb to be used was brought across on a commercial flight using diplomatic status and that it was handed over to agents of the MOIS. The links with Iran are clear, she said.
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