In an alarming development, the Omani government, acting as an intermediary, announced a contentious prisoner exchange between Belgium and Iran on Friday.
The deal resulted in the release of Assadollah Assadi, a convicted Iranian diplomat known for his involvement in terrorism. This move was instantly criticized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an Iranian opposition coalition.
Despite the ruling by the Belgian Constitutional Court requiring Brussels to inform victims prior to any extradition, victims were left uninformed of Assadi’s release, leading to accusations of rights violations.
The Iranian government reportedly used a hostage-taking strategy to apply pressure on Brussels. A Belgian aid worker was taken into captivity, forcing the Belgian government to surrender to Iran’s demand for Assadi’s release.
Assadi was found guilty of planning and leading a deadly terrorist attack aimed at an NCRI rally near Paris in 2018, a criminal act termed as the gravest Europe has seen since World War II.
Prominent Western politicians, including participants in the 2018 NCRI’s “Free Iran Summit”, the intended target of Assadi’s planned attack, have condemned the prisoner exchange. British MP Bob Blackman lamented that Assadi’s release rewards Iran’s “unacceptable and illegal hostage-taking diplomacy”, encouraging the clerical regime to continue its malign activities.
Analysts suggest Assadi’s arrest was a significant setback to Iran’s terror and espionage networks in Europe, revealing critical information about Tehran’s operations during his trial. However, his release, despite the ominous threats he posed to Belgium’s security, symbolizes a concerning precedent of impunity for diplomatic criminals.
On May 26, the Farhikhtegan newspaper reported: “No other opposition group has engaged with the parliaments of European countries and the US Congress as extensively as the MEK”, highlighting the organization’s staunch resistance against Iran’s regime.
The NCRI demonstrated robust opposition to this prisoner-swap deal, engaging legal avenues and forming an international front against this “dirty deal”, delaying Assadi’s release by a year. Despite this, his eventual release is a sobering reminder of the extent to which Iran will go to preserve its diplomatic face, even in the wake of setbacks caused by a determined Iranian Resistance.
As Tehran may rejoice over Assadi’s release, it continues to face an increasingly defiant nation and a disciplined Resistance committed to overthrowing it at any cost. This prisoner exchange, though controversial, provides a stark reminder of the current state of global diplomacy and the potential threats that lie beneath it.
MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu