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Thousands protest in Brussels demanding release of Belgian aid worker

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Thousands marched in Brussels on Sunday (22 January) in protest at the arrest in Iran of Olivier Vandecasteele (Belgian aid worker). He was sentenced to 40 years imprisonment for spying charges.

The Belgian government denies the allegations.

Protesters held banners that read "His life in danger, contribute his freedom," and "#Free Olivier Vandecasteele", which included Vandecasteele’s family, friends, and colleagues.

Last month, Vandecasteele was sentenced. The Belgian justice minister stated that Vandecasteele had been jailed "for an fabricated series of crime" and that he had been sentenced in retribution for a 20-year sentence Belgian courts had imposed on an Iranian diplomat.

Next month, the Belgian constitutional court will hold a hearing about whether a prisoner exchange agreement with Iran is legal. Belgian media suggests that this could lead to a prisoner exchange between the two countries. This would include Vandecasteele, an Iranian diplomat who was convicted of plotting a bomb attack against exiled opposition groups.

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