Belgian Parliament Reportedly Ratifies Prisoner Swap Deal With Iran

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Belgian parliament has voted to ratify a controversial prisoner swap deal with Iran, Belgian broadcaster RTBF reported on Thursday.

In early July, the deal was approved by the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs.

Lawmakers have ratified the agreement with 79 votes in favor, 41 against and 11 abstentions, the broadcaster said.

Critics in Belgium, as well as some US lawmakers and Iranian dissidents, have earlier denounced the treaty, saying that it would allow the handover of Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi who was convicted to 20 years in jail in Belgium in 2021 on charges of attempted terrorism.

Meanwhile, it was reported in July that a Belgian national, Olivier Vandecasteele, who served as an aid worker in Iran, had been imprisoned for four months in Tehran on espionage charges. The media reported that the deal would allow exchanging Vandecasteele for Assadi.