{"id":263818,"date":"2022-09-14T16:52:33","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T14:52:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=263818"},"modified":"2023-02-06T20:50:42","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T19:50:42","slug":"former-eu-ministers-urge-belgium-to-no-release-irans-assadi-terrorist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/terrorism-a-fundamentalism\/former-eu-ministers-urge-belgium-to-no-release-irans-assadi-terrorist\/","title":{"rendered":"Former European Ministers Urge Belgium Not to Release Iran’s Terrorist Assadollah Assadi"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"european-eu-flags\"<\/p>\n

In a declaration, 21 former European ministers urged the Prime Minister of\u00a0 Belgium to make it absolutely clear that the prisoner swap treaty with Iran will not apply to terrorists. Once signed, this treaty allows Brussels to release Iran’s Incarcerated diplomat-terrorist Assadollah Assadi, who was caught red-handed while attempting to bomb the opposition rally in 2018 in Paris<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur direct experience shows that releasing Assadi under any pretext would only embolden Tehran\u2019s terrorist conduct in Europe, would endanger the safety and security of Europe and European citizens,\u201d the statement reads in part.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The full text of this declaration is below:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

DECLARATION<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Terrorism is a growing threat to our democratic values. Combatting it is a common objective of all European countries, which is instrumental in safeguarding peace and collective security.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We former ministers of various European countries are deeply alarmed over the prospect of the Belgian government freeing Assadollah Assadi, the Iranian diplomat currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for attempting to bomb an international summit.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Assadi, who is one of only 20 people on the EU\u2019s terrorist blacklist, was convicted by the Belgian Judiciary for masterminding the attempted bombing of the summit organized by the Iranian dissident movement the \u201cNational Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)\u201d in France on June 30, 2018.\u00a0 The summit was attended by tens of thousands of people including hundreds of distinguished international personalities from both sides of the Atlantic. Several signatories of this statement were potential victims of the terrorist plot.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is very telling that after more than two years of investigation, the Belgian Judiciary definitively handed Assadi the maximum sentence and unequivocally stated that he was acting on behalf of the Iranian state. It was the first time that a diplomat was put on trial for his role in a terror plot in the heart of Europe.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Assadi\u2019s release is expected to result from a treaty between Belgium and Iran that allows persons sentenced in the territory of either party to be transferred to the territory of the other party. Article 13 of the treaty states: “Each Party may grant pardon, amnesty or commutation of the sentence in accordance with its Constitution or other laws.”\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities have said time and again in public that they do not recognize the decision to convict Assadi by the Belgium court. Tehran\u2019s most senior officials, including the foreign minister and the spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, have been demanding Assadi\u2019s immediate and unconditional release.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It would be delusional to pretend that Assadi will serve the remainder of his 20-year sentence in Iran, the state responsible for the attempted terrorist bombing. Sending Assadi back to Iran would make a mockery of the rule of law in Europe and foster further impunity for the Iranian government and its officials who are involved in terrorism and crimes against humanity.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is made more alarming by the fact that Iranian state terror goes hand-in-hand with hostage diplomacy, with the regime using the latter to shield itself from accountability. Whenever Tehran has faced even a feeble challenge to its terrorism, it has arrested innocent Westerners on spurious charges and has exploited their plight as a bargaining chip to gain concessions from Western countries. Iranian media have plainly stated that a number of these individuals will only be freed if Assadi is released.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It is very revealing that Iran has arrested several Swedish, French, and German nationals just in recent months, replenishing its stock of Western hostages. This trend must be ended. To save and secure the lives of their citizens, all democratic countries should adopt a decisive policy and put pressure on Iran to stop this inhumane policy.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our direct experience shows that releasing Assadi under any pretext would only embolden Tehran\u2019s terrorist conduct in Europe, would endanger the safety and security of Europe and European citizens, and would only amplify the impunity that the Iranian regime\u2019s officials have unduly enjoyed.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Implementing the Belgian-Iranian treaty and returning Assadi would set a dangerous precedent and seriously weaken the rule of law. It would have a colossal impact on Europe\u2019s combat against terrorism and send the message that the Iranian regime can evade responsibility for major international crimes and mass terror in Europe.\u00a0 Belgium would bear a heavy responsibility in this regard.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Recently, in light of a complaint filed by the NCRI and several international dignitaries, the Brussels Court of Appeal issued a temporary ruling blocking Assadi\u2019s transfer to Iran. As officials who have long served European nations and their citizens, we urgently call upon the Belgian government to make that block permanent and to rescind its decision regarding the treaty for \u201cTransfer of Sentenced Persons\u201d.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At a minimum, Brussels must make it absolutely clear that the treaty will not apply to terrorists, and certainly not to the terrorist mastermind Assadollah Assadi. For the sake of the common safety and security of all European nations, he must serve out the entirety of his sentence in Belgium.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Signatories:<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Janez Jansa<\/span><\/b>, Former Prime Minister \u2013 Slovenia<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Iveta Radicova<\/span><\/b>, Former Prime Minister \u2013 Slovakia<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Petre Roman<\/span><\/b>, Former Prime Minister \u2013 Romania<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Geir H. Haarde<\/span><\/b>, Former Prime Minister \u2013 Iceland\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Franz Joseph Jung<\/span><\/b>, Former Federal Minister for Defence \u2013 Germany\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Theo Francken,<\/span><\/b> MP, Former Secretary of State for Asylum, Migration \u2013 Belgium<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ryszard Kalisz<\/span><\/b>, Former Minister of the Interior and Administration \u2013 Poland\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

David Jones, MP, <\/span><\/b>Former Minister of State for Brexit \u2013 UK\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Alain Vivien<\/span><\/b>, Former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs \u2013 France\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jan-Erik Enestam<\/span><\/b>, Former Minister for Defence \u2013 Finland\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Horst Teltschik<\/span><\/b>, Close adviser of Chancellor Helmuth Kohl \u2013 Germany\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

John Perry<\/span><\/b>, Former Minister for Small Business \u2013 Ireland\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Marcin <\/span><\/b>\u015awi\u0119cicki<\/span><\/b>,<\/span><\/b> Former Minister for Foreign Economic Relations, former Mayor of Warsaw \u2013 Poland<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Kimmo Sasi,<\/span><\/b> Former Minister for Transport and Communications \u2013 Finland\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Karel Schwarzenberg,<\/span><\/b> Former Minister of Foreign Affairs \u2013 Czech Republic\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Francis Zammit Dimech<\/span><\/b>, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs \u2013 Malta\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Anatol <\/span><\/b>\u0218alaru<\/span><\/b>, Former Minister of Defence \u2013 Moldova\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Edvard Solnes<\/span><\/b>, Former Minister for Environment \u2013 Iceland\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Eduard Lintner<\/span><\/b>, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Interior – Germany\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mario Galea<\/span><\/b>, MP, Former Secretary of State for Older Persons and Care \u2013 Malta\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Giuseppe Morganti<\/span><\/b>, Former State Secretary for Education, Culture and University \u2013 San Marin<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t

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