A Belgian aid worker accused of espionage serving a 40 year sentence in Iran has been freed in return for Belgium letting an Iranian diplomat go free. Before going home, the newly liberated individuals, Olivier Vandecasteele and diplomat Assadollah Assadi, were sent from their respective holdings to the Omani capital of Muscat.
The Oman-mediated swap was announced by Belgium’s PM, Alexander De Croo, and Hossein Amirabdollahian, the Iranian Foreign Minister, who tweeted:
The innocent diplomat of our country, who was illegally detained in Germany and Belgium for more than two years against international law, is now on his way back to his homeland.
Assadollah Assadi stood accused of participating in a plot to plant a bomb against an Iranian opposition figure in France.
For its part, the Belgian government has denied any wrongdoing and espionage activity on the part of Vandercasteele.
