Olivier Vandecasteele, a Belgian humanitarian worker who had been imprisoned in Iran for 15 months, returned to Belgium on Friday night after being deported on a military plane, as shown in television footage.
Upon his release on Friday, the 42-year-old was greeted at the Melsbroek military base outside Brussels by his parents, sister, and other family members.
According to the images broadcast on RTL-TVI channel, the plane carrying Vandecasteele from Oman landed shortly after 9:30 pm (1930 GMT).
Vandecasteele was arrested during a visit to Iran in February 2022 and was sentenced in January to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes on charges including spying.
The Belgian government stated on Friday that they had reason to believe Iran had planned to increase his sentence.
Earlier, Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, announced that a diplomat named Assadolah Assadi had been released from Belgium as part of a swap agreement.
Assadi had been jailed in Belgium for his involvement in a 2018 plot to bomb an Iranian opposition rally in Paris.
The Iranian foreign minister tweeted that Assadi, whom he described as “the innocent diplomat of our country,” was returning to Iran.
Oman’s foreign ministry issued a statement confirming its role in facilitating a mutual exchange deal between Belgium and Iran. Both countries expressed gratitude to Oman for its efforts in securing the release.
Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, who maintained Vandecasteele’s innocence throughout the ordeal, commented on his release, stating, “Olivier spent 455 days in prison in Tehran in unbearable conditions. Innocent.”
De Croo emphasized that Vandecasteele’s well-being was a top priority, expressing his commitment to never abandoning anyone and accepting responsibility for their citizens’ welfare.
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