UANI Statement On Pending Belgian Treaty Extraditing Prisoners To Iran

(New York, N.Y.) — United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) Chairman Senator Joseph I. Lieberman and CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, released the following joint statement today after news that the Belgium Parliament would be considering the ratification of a treaty with Iran that would allow Iranians convicted in Belgium, and Belgians convicted in Iran, to serve their prison sentences in their country of origin. If signed, the treaty would lead to the Belgian release of Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi, a convicted terrorist. Although Belgium has not provided the reasoning for its consideration of the treaty, it is believed to be related to multiple Belgian nationals that the regime has taken hostage.  

“The passage of this treaty by Belgium would mark a dangerous precedent for the international community, serving as a clear indicator for Iran that its abominable hostage-taking policy is a legitimate and effective means to get what it wants. The regime deliberately targets Westerners to take hostage to serve as bargaining chips in negotiations to extract concessions from other countries. This hostage diplomacy is not the practice of a normal nation-state; it is criminal behavior and the work of a rogue, terrorist state.  

“Furthermore, the treaty would permit convicted terrorists, such as Assadollah Assadi, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for being the ‘mastermind’ of a failed bomb plot in France, to serve their sentence in Iran. But instead, Assadi will likely be welcomed as a hero there. The bomb plot for which Assadi was convicted would have murdered former U.S. and European officials, as well as a former prime minister of Canada, if successful. Releasing terrorists in exchange for innocent hostages signals to the Iranian leadership that the price to be paid for terrorism in Europe is minimal.  

“This proposed treaty creates a false equivalence between the legal systems of Europe and Iran, the latter of which routinely arrests western citizens, residents, and asylees on trumped-up, fabricated charges. Rather than moving forward with this treaty, the best way to meaningfully force Iran back to the bargaining table and release its hostages is for Belgium, the U.S, and the rest of Europe to exact a price from Iran for its hostage taking. The international community at large must stand up to Tehran until it changes its behavior and stops its malign activities.”  

To read UANI’s resource Hostages In Iran, please click here.  

To read UANI’s report Iran’s Malign Intelligence Activities, please click here.

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