The Islamist mayor of Tehran, Alireza Zakani, invited by State Secretary of the Brussels-Capital Region, Pascal Smet, to City Hall in Brussels on June 13, arrived with a group of “secret service agents” brought in to “identify opponents and even intimidate their family members”, according to political sources in the city.
Sources in Belgium’s foreign ministry informed Brussels Signal they had strongly advised against receiving Zakani and his delegation but Smet allowed the visit and met with them anyway. The sources claim members of the 20-man Tehrani entourage were caught filming a crowd of Iranians gathered in Brussels to protest against the presence of Zakani.
Opposition sources said it seemed the Iranian regime feels “strengthened and protected” by Belgium after it concluded a controversial prisoner swap with Iran. In addition, they claimed, the Belgian state now lets members of the strict religious autocracy, many of whom have an allegedly dubious record, roam freely in Brussels.
Darya Safai, who fled her native Iran as a refugee to Belgium and where, in 2019, she was elected to the Belgian Parliament, went so far as to label Zakani and his entourage “terrorists” after she shared footage on social media of the men apparently filming protestors.
Zakani is regarded by many as a religious hardliner and was a former leader of the Student Basij Organisation (SBO), which the European Council added to its sanctions list on May 22 over its use of violence against the opposition in Iran.
Deze terroristen zijn nu allemaal in Brussel.
Tijdens een manifestatie in Brussel op 13 juni 2023, tegen de uitnodiging van de terroristische burgemeester van Teheran op het Brusselse stadhuis, werd de aanwezigheid van Iraanse agenten van de inlichtingendienst vastgesteld. Ze… pic.twitter.com/85uWcDfITh
— Darya Safai MP (@SafaiDarya) June 14, 2023
The Council said the SBO “used live ammunition and opened fire on students” in a 2022 crackdown on protests and committed acts of “repression and serious human rights violations such as abduction and torture”. In 1999, when Zakani led the SBO, it similarly attacked students, causing death and injuries among them, the Council said.
Zakani is apparently highly regarded by the Iranian dictatorship.
Good morning from #BUS2023 ! ?
Today's agenda:
? 10:00 Plenary on Migration and Diversity
? 14:00 Workshops on climate-neutral cities / urban food policies
? 15:45 Eurocities General Assembly
? 19:00 #EurocitiesAwards ceremonyFull programme ? https://t.co/GKV08uc8Nt pic.twitter.com/5dJmIGP9Fk
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