Belgian Parliament Committee Passes Prisoner Swap Treaty With Iran

The Belgian parliament’s foreign relations committee passed a controversial prisoner swap treaty with Iran, which will go to the full 150-member chamber July 14.

Belgium’s Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne said on Wednesday the treaty between Iran and Belgium stipulating the exchange of convicts is an attempt to build trust between the two countries, adding that the assessment of the Belgian security service was that the failure to pass the bill would increase security threats.

“Contrary to what you [opposition representatives] say, this treaty will not open the door to hostage-taking and will not provide immunity for criminals,” he said.

Critics say that the agreement with Iran will result in sending back Assadollah Assadi, a convicted terrorist to Tehran and that can encourage the Islamic Republic in taking more Western hostages.

In response to questions about the possibility of an exchange to secure the release of a Belgian man jailed in Iran since February and Swedish-Iranian academic Ahmadreza Djalali, he noted that the Belgian national recently detained by the Islamic Republic has not been convicted yet, therefore the prisoner swap treaty would not apply to him, but Djalali has been sentenced to death and this treaty can help Brussels in that regard.