On July 14, thousands of members of the Iranian diaspora in Europe who support the Iranian Resistance gathered in Brussels, protesting against the disgraceful deal between Belgium and the mullahs’ regime, which could lead to the release of Tehran’s convicted and imprisoned diplomat-terrorist Assadollah Assadi.
If and when adopted, this treaty allows prisoners to be swapped between the Iran regime and Belgium, thus preparing the ground for the eventual release of Assadi, who was arrested in 2018 for plotting to bomb the “Free Iran World Summit” organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran. The event was attended by over 100,000 Iranians and hundreds of renowned politicians from both sides of the Atlantic and beyond.
Therefore, the prospect of adopting this ill-advised treaty has outraged Iranians, Europeans, and people of good conscience worldwide. The Iranian people, Belgian lawmakers, and current and former officials around the world have raised their voices in opposition to what is viewed as a shameful deal. During Thursday’s rally, the NCRI supporters expressed their outrage, chanting slogans such as: “Shame, shame, shame on this conspiracy,” and “Assadi is a terrorist, don’t free terrorists.” They also held several banners and placards condemning Europe’s appeasement policy toward Iran’s ruling theocracy.
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the NCRI’s president-elect and the main target of Assadi’s foiled bombing plot addressed the rally in Belgium via video message.
“The treaty’s actual substance and name amount to granting impunity to the religious fascism’ terrorism and to the mullahs, who were about to carry out a mass killing in Paris, marking the biggest terrorist incident in Europe. However, with your round-the-clock efforts, you and other conscientious people exposed the scandalous conspiracy internationally in a short period of time. You are indeed an extension of the rebellions and Resistance Units on the world stage,” Mrs. Rajavi emphasized.
Mrs. Rajavi also praised the “united front of Iranians,” the “campaign against appeasing the unbridled terrorism of the ruling mullahs,” and the “global front against this dirty deal.”
“In the face of Iranians’ solidarity in Belgium, your campaign, and your global front, the advocates of appeasement and back-door deals have now turned the hostage-taking of Belgian citizens in Iran into a tactic against victims of terrorism. And instead of adopting a stronger stance against the executioners, they want to appease them with the victims’ blood. Pinning hope on releasing a Belgian hostage in Iran is one step forward and 100 steps back because, in the future, no one will be safe. Every European and American citizen in Iran is also a potential hostage. Every European and American citizen in Iran is also a potential hostage,” Mrs. Rajavi added.
The rally on Thursday was also attended by several renowned politicians, including Belgian MPs. Michael Freilich saluted the perseverance of the Resistance supporters and voiced his utter support for stopping the release of Assadi. He warned Belgian officials that by adopting this treaty, the regime would take more victims. Mr. Freilich underlined that Belgium had shown weakness, and Iran’s ruling theocracy had sensed it.
Sophie Rohonyi and Theo Francken, as well as other members of Belgium’s Chamber of Representatives, also participated in the rally and protested the disgraceful treaty between Brussels and Tehran.
As the Iranian Resistance and hundreds of lawmakers and human rights advocates, as well as tens of thousands of Iranians, underlined, if adopted, the bill will encourage a dangerous escalation of terrorism on European soil and hostage-taking of European nationals and Iranian dual-nationals for blackmail by the religious fascism ruling Iran. No one, especially Iranian dissidents, in Europe or the Western democracies would be safe from Tehran’s terrorism.
