PARIS — Iran released late Thursday Belgian national Olivier Vandecasteele, who had been detained in the country since February 2022, in exchange for the release of Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, in a deal mediated by Oman.
Vandecasteele, 42, was sentenced last January to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes over alleged espionage, while Assadi, 51, has been detained in Belgium since 2018 and sentenced to 20 years in prison for plotting a bomb attack against a rally organized by Iranian dissidents (the National Council of Resistance of Iran) near Paris.
"As I speak, Belgium's Olivier Vandecasteele is on his way to Belgium. If all goes according to plan, he'll be with us this evening. Free at last. Last night, Olivier was taken to Oman, where he was looked after by a team of Belgian military and diplomatic personnel. This morning, he underwent a number of medical examinations in order to assess his state of health and enable his return under the best possible conditions," said Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexandre De Croo on Friday morning.
De Croo said that “Olivier spent 455 days in prison in Tehran. In unbearable conditions. Innocent,” describing his return to Belgium as “a relief for his family, friends and colleagues.”
