In his message shared on his Twitter account, Iranian Foreign Minister Hussein Emir Abdullahiyan said, “The innocent diplomat of our country, Esedullah Esedi, who has been illegally detained in Germany and Belgium for more than two years in violation of international law, is currently on his way back to his homeland and will soon reach Iran. ” used the phrases.
In his message, Abdullahiyan thanked Oman for its efforts regarding the prisoner exchange between Tehran and Brussels.
Iranian diplomat arrested in Germany on “terrorism” charges
Esedi, a diplomat at the Iranian Embassy in Vienna, was arrested in Germany in June 2018 for allegedly planning an attack on an event organized by the People’s Mujahideen Organization, which is considered a terrorist organization in Iran, in Paris, the capital of France.
Assad was sentenced to 21 years in prison for planning a terrorist attack in February 2021 by a court in Belgium, where he was later extradited.
Iran reacted to the decision and demanded Belgium to recognize Assad’s diplomatic status and release him. After a while, a Belgian citizen named Olivier Vandecasteele was arrested in Iran for “espionage, money laundering and currency smuggling” and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
In this process, the agreement signed between Iran and Belgium, which envisages the exchange of detainees and prisoners, was approved in the parliaments of the two countries in 2022.
The agreement enabled the release of Iranian diplomat Esedullah Assadi, who was imprisoned on charges of “terrorism” in Belgium, and Belgian citizen Olivier Vandecasteele, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison in Iran for “espionage, money laundering and currency smuggling”.
In a written statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Oman announced that Iran and Belgium had reached an agreement through Oman for the mutual release of their citizens detained in both countries.
In the statement, it was stated that the detainees released from Tehran and Brussels were transported to Muscat, the capital of Oman, to be sent to their countries, but the identities of these people were not disclosed.