Belgian officials say the Islamic Republic of Iran has imposed a 28-year sentence on jailed aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele.
Belgium’s Justice Minister said on Wednesday that Vandecasteele has been sentenced for a “fabricated series of crimes”, stressing that Brussels was doing everything possible to secure his release.
Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne said in parliament that Vandencasteele had been sentenced as retribution for a jail sentence the country imposed on a former Iranian diplomat last year convicted on terror charges.
“This is a compatriot who was innocently arrested in February and has been held under inhumane conditions since,” he added.
The sentence was announced less than 24 hours after a phone conversation between the foreign ministers of Iran and Belgium, the AFP reported.
