Belgian aid worker in Iran sentenced to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes

Vandecasteele, 41, works for Relief International. He has been held in Iranian solitary confinement since February 24, and it is unclear why for so long. When he was forced to take part in a mock trial in November, it became clear that he was suspected of espionage and compromising national security. VandeCastiel has always denied the allegations.

‘Cooperation with America’

Too late now Iranian News Agency He is known to have been convicted of co-operating with the US against Iran, money laundering and money laundering. After a mock trial, the aid worker from Albeke, near Kortrijk, Belgium, was sentenced to 28 years in prison. Now the penalty is higher.

It’s unclear whether VandeCastiel actually should serve 40 years in prison. He actually only has to serve the sentence with the longest sentence, so could be released after 12.5 years.

Called the family for 15 minutes

At Christmas, Vandegasteel was allowed to call his family for fifteen minutes, and he was not allowed to talk about his faith. So he essentially said he was cold: it was freezing at the time and he was only wearing a t-shirt. His requests for a sweater, socks or gloves were not granted. He also clearly lost weight.

A spokesperson for his family says they are in two-by-three-meter cells without toilets. “The light stays on. Olivier has an infection and has lost his toenails. He has dental problems, hearing problems. It’s clear that Oliver is being tortured.”

Last week, the Belgian ambassador visited Vandecastel in his room.

Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said in a statement today that she would summon Iran’s ambassador to Belgium in response to the sentence. “Iran has not provided any official information about the charges against Olivier Vandecasteele or about his trial. Belgium continues to condemn this arbitrary detention and is doing everything possible to end it and improve detention conditions.”