People hold pictures of Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele during a protest against his detention in Iran, as he was sentenced to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes on charges including spying, in Brussels, Belgium January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman
Thousands of people took to the streets of Brussels on Sunday to protest against the detention in Iran of Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison on charges including spying.
The Belgian government has said the charges are fake.
Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele's mother Annie and father Bernard react as they take part in a protest against his detention in Iran, as he was sentenced to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes on charges including spying, in Brussels, Belgium January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman
"His life is in danger, contribute to his freedom," "#Free Olivier Vandecasteele," read banners held by protesters who included Vandecasteele's family, friends and colleagues.
After Vandecasteele was sentenced last month, Belgium's justice minister said the Belgian had been imprisoned "for a fabricated series of crimes" and had been sentenced as retribution for a 20-year jail term Belgian courts imposed on an Iranian diplomat in 2021.
Belgium's constitutional court will next month hold a hearing on the legality of a Belgian prisoner exchange treaty with Iran. Belgian media has suggested this could lead to a prisoner swap between the two countries involving the Iranian diplomat, convicted of planning a bomb plot against an exiled opposition group, and Vandecasteele.
People protest against the detention of Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele in Iran, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes on charges including spying, in Brussels, Belgium January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman
(Reporting by Marine Strauss @StraussMarine, Clement Rossignol; Editing by Susan Fenton)
A person arranges placards during a protest against the detention of Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele in Iran, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes on charges including spying, in Brussels, Belgium January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Yves HermanBelgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele's parents Annie and Bernard and sisters Nathalie and Virginie take part in a protest against his detention in Iran, as he was sentenced to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes on charges including spying, in Brussels, Belgium January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Yves HermanPeople protest against the detention of Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele in Iran, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes on charges including spying, in Brussels, Belgium January 22, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman
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