The family of a man from the West Flemish coastal municipality of Oostduinkerke that is being held in a prison in the Iranian capital Tehran says that they spoke to him by video call on Christmas Eve. It was the first time in three months that Olivier Vandecasteele’s family had been able to contact him. Mr Vandecasteele’s friend and spokesman for his family Olivier Van Steirtegem told VRT News that the West Fleming is “Above all very cold” in his Iranian prison cell.
Family of Belgian held in Iranian was able to video call him on Christmas Eve
Published:
Olivier Vandecasteele was arrested in February while he was working for an NGO in Iran. Since then, he has been held in poor conditions and has hardly been allowed any contact with his family. Mr Vandecasteele has been sentenced to 28 years in prison.
However, it has never been made clear what exactly the Belgian is accused of. Olivier Vandecasteele’s family have received little if any information about his well-being. Before Christmas Eve the last time they had been able to contact him was in October. On Christmas Eve they were allowed a 15-minute video call with their imprisoned relative.
Prior to the video call an Iranian official called the family and set out a few ground rules. They were banned from discussing his conviction or talking about the decision of Belgium’s Constitutional Court to suspend a treaty that would make it possible to exchange Olivier Vandecasteele for an Iranian terrorist that has been convicted here.