Belgian Constitutional Court decision paving the way for prisoner exchange with Iran
The Belgian Constitutional Court rejected the request for the annulment of the agreement with Iran that allowed prisoner exchanges.
The court evaluated the objection made in the Belgian Federal Assembly to the approval of the agreement in July. In the decision of the Constitutional Court, which rejected the objection, it was stated that the detainees to be extradited may object to the extradition.
In the decision, it was stated that the government should inform the detainee in a timely manner about this decision when the detainee transfer decision is made.
The Belgian Constitutional Court's decision brought up the situation of Belgian citizen Olivier Vandecasteele, who was tried in Iran for "espionage, money laundering and currency smuggling" and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
It was claimed that Vandecasteele could be exchanged for Iranian diplomat Assadullah Assadi, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Belgium on charges of planning a terrorist bomb attack.
