A Belgian aid worker in Iran has been sentenced to 40 years in prison and 74 lashes for "espionage," prompting Brussels -- which has called the charge "fabricated" -- to summon the Iranian ambassador to the European nation.
The Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency said 41-year-old Olivier Vandecasteele had been found guilty of "espionage against the Islamic republic for the benefit of the foreign intelligence service, cooperation with the hostile American government against the Islamic republic, professional currency smuggling in the amount of $500,000, and money laundering of the same amount."
The judiciary has yet to provide any evidence to back up the verdict.
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said in a tweet that "Iran has provided no official information regarding the charges against Olivier Vandecasteele or his trial."
"Belgium continues to condemn this arbitrary detention and is doing everything possible to put an end to it and to improve the conditions of his detention," she said in announcing that Tehran's ambassador to Brussels would be summoned in the coming hours.
Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne has said the case was likely in retaliation for a jail sentence a court in Belgium handed to Iranian diplomat Assadollah Assadi last year.
Assadi was sentenced to 20 years in prison in connection with a plot to bomb a rally of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an exiled opposition group, outside Paris in June 2018. Tehran considers the NCRI a terrorist group and has called the Paris attack plot a "false flag" move by the group.
Belgium's constitutional court on December 8 temporarily suspended a prisoner exchange treaty with Iran. The accord had been heavily criticized by lawmakers and some in the public because it appeared to pave the way for Assadi to be returned to Tehran. A final ruling on the treaty is expected by mid-March.
Western countries have repeatedly charged that Iran is trying to take advantage of foreign countries by taking dual and foreign nationals hostage and then using them in prisoner swaps.
During a current wave of unrest sparked by the death of a young woman while she was detained for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly, Iranian security forces have taken some 40 foreign nationals into custody, often without revealing any charges.