TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has denounced the detention of an Iranian diplomat in Belgium on bogus terror-related allegations, demanding his immediate release.
Khatibzadeh noted that Assadollah Assadi’s imprisonment and conviction were faulty and violated the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
“The European parties involved in the case of Assadollah Assadi have been called to account,” Khatibzadeh said.
His comments came after an appellate court denied appeals filed by three persons who are said, in line with “unfounded and baseless accusations,” to have been “connected” to Assadi.
“Unfortunately, today, under the pretext of holding appeals court for the three foregoing people, we are once again witnessing fabricated lies by Western media about Mr. Assadi, a diplomat of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he remarked.
“As said in the past, the entire procedures of detention, trial, and issuance of legal verdict against Assadi have taken place in complete violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” the spokesman underscored.
“The Islamic Republic has officially communicated its protest over the matter to Austria, Germany, and Belgium, repeatedly rejecting the accusations that have been leveled against the diplomat, and insisting that he should be immediately released,” Khatibzadeh stated.
He described the entire situation as a pre-planned scenario carried out by the MKO with the objective of inciting Iranophobia.
Belgian officials said in June 2018 that they had seized a vehicle carrying homemade explosives and a detonation device, stating that Assadi had already sent the materials to two persons in Belgium. The next day, he was caught in Germany and told that he could not use his diplomatic immunity.
After being accused of organizing an assault against the anti-Iran terrorist MKO organization, a Belgian court sentenced him to 20 years in jail.
Since the triumph of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, the terror group has carried out countless killings and bombings against Iranian authorities and civilians. About 12,000 of the roughly 17,000 Iranians murdered as a result of the MKO’s act of terror.
The group is notorious for taking sides with the former Iraqi despot, Saddam Hussein, who inflicted a war on Iran.
Until 2012, the terrorist group was on the U.S. list of terrorist groups.
Since then, however, it has been actively promoted by the West as an “Iranian opposition group” and has enjoyed from heavy Western lobbying.
