Van Quickenborne: “His death warrant was almost signed.”

“Vandecasteele would have received the death penalty”

Van Quickenborne defends the choice of the Belgian government to release an Iranian terrorist for NGO employee Olivier Vandecasteele. “There was only one method, there was only one way to get him released, that was to perform this operation. If we had not performed this operation, Olivier Vandecasteele’s death warrant would probably have been signed.”

“We had also received reports from Iran that there were new charges hanging over his head and that the death penalty would be handed down. So we didn’t have time to wait any longer and we wanted to get him released immediately.”

Two more Europeans recently executed in Iran

Van Quickenborne explains that the exchange did not take place on the basis of the Iran deal, but with Article 167 of the Constitution: “You should also know that two Europeans were recently executed in Iran. We absolutely could not afford to continue this for months. let it drag on.”

“That is why we have chosen an important article in the Constitution, Article 167, which is a cornerstone of our foreign relations and which gives the government the power to act in cases of imminent, serious, continuing threat. What happened here. And so we have now been able to get Olivier released immediately.”