Belgian humanitarian worker Olivier Vandecasteele was arrested in Iran on 24 February. He has been in Evin’s prison ever since, “in very difficult circumstances”. The man’s relatives reported in a press release on Tuesday. Neither the Belgian authorities nor his loved ones have been given a reason for the “arbitrary” detention, it said.
Olivier Vandecasteele is in total isolation in prison. The family had contact with him once, but he has no contact with his Iranian lawyers. He has lost a lot of weight because of the bad food and he has health problems, the family said.
Vandecasteele worked for many years as a humanitarian worker in Afghanistan, and has been active in Iran since 2015 as ‘country director‘ for various NGOs. He campaigned for strengthening contacts between the Iranian authorities and major international donors such as the European Union, the United Nations, and other international organizations. “He has made a significant contribution to the success of development missions and access to basic health care for the Afghan people immigrating to Iran,” his family said in a statement.
It also states that the Belgian authorities are in contact with the Iranian authorities, and that they have confidential contacts with the competent Belgian authorities on a regular basis.