The Belgian Parliament has ratified a controversial prisoner swap treaty with Iran, which facilitates repatriating an Iranian diplomat sentenced to 20 years in jail on a terrorism conviction.
Following several postponements of the vote and a heated debate Wednesday, out of the 131 lawmakers present, 79 voted in favor while 41 rejected the treaty, and 11 abstained just after midnight.
Critics fear that the treaty, which would permit Iranians convicted in Belgium to serve their sentences in Iran and vice versa, will pave the way for the release of Assadollah Assadi, a terrorist convicted for his role in a plot to bomb a gathering of Albania-based opposition group, Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) organization in Paris four years ago.
NEWSRAEL: There has been an outcry these last weeks among Iranian exiles in western countries regarding what they see as a betrayal of Belgium to the oppressed people of Iran.
Source: Iran International