The Constitutional Court suspends the controversial Assadi treaty

The Constitutional Court has temporarily suspended Prime Minister De Croo and Minister Van Quickenborne’s controversial deal with Iran, to the satisfaction of group chairman Peter De Roover. The deal provided for the possibility of releasing convicted terrorist diplomat Assadollah Assadi, who would immediately be pardoned upon being handed over to Iran. The anticipated swap with Ahmadreza Djalali and Olivier Vandecasteele imprisoned there was not even certain.

“The Court confirms what we have tried to make clear to the De Croo government: this treaty is the result of pure blackmail by a criminal regime,” says Peter De Roover. “The Court argues that Assadollah Assadi was convicted in this country of committing a terrorist offence and that extraditing him to his clients constitutes a danger to his victims. The Court also leaves no doubt that Assadi would escape his punishment that way and that the De Croo government knows this only too well. It is not a final decision, but the Court has already ruled that the law ‘appears’ to violate the European Convention on Human Rights.”

A slap in the face

During the plenary session, Peter De Roover questioned the Prime Minister about this suspension by the Constitutional Court. The Prime Minister then confirmed that the government has no intention of doing anything with this treaty without the parliament having had the opportunity to debate the Constitutional Court’s comments.  “That’s a good thing,” says De Roover. “This treaty is therefore nothing more than a slap in the face to our rule of law and a stain on our international credibility. I therefore hope that the majority will follow our comments, which are confirmed by the Constitutional Court, and cancel this law.”