“Today we are faced with a case of state-organized terrorism,” said opposition group NCRI on Friday at the start of the trial in Antwerp regarding the foiled attack in France in 2018. According to the NCRI, the top Iranian leaders were aware of the planned attack. .
–
In Antwerp, a couple of Iranian origin from Wilrijk, an Iranian diplomat and a contact person of the diplomat are on trial for a foiled attack in 2018. The four would have wanted to commit an attack on a conference of the Iranian Volksmujaheddin or MEK in Villepinte, near Paris .
“The independent and professional investigation by the Belgian authorities was commendable,” said Maryam Rajavi before the trial began. Rajavi is chairman of the National Council of Resistance of Iran. The investigation has shown that this is a matter of state-organized terrorism. So, in addition to today’s defendants, it is also time for the Iranian leaders to be tried. According to NCRI, the top Iranian leader Ali Khamenei personally authorized the attack.
NCRI calls on the European Union and the European member states to break the policy of silence surrounding Iranian practices. The EU must designate the secret service MOIS and the Revolutionary Guard IRGC as terrorist organizations. The embassies and the so-called religious centers must be closed, because they are in reality centers for organizing terrorism and espionage. ‘
Iranian diplomat not present
Upon his arrival, lawyer Dimitri de Béco, who represents Iranian diplomat Assadollah A., announced that his client will not be present at the trial. ‘He is represented by his lawyer, that is his right. My client is of the opinion that as a diplomat he enjoys immunity and therefore cannot be convicted by the criminal court. ‘
According to Johan Platteau, attorney for Defendant Nasimeh N., the public prosecutor’s office made a mistake and the case must be postponed. ‘The Public Prosecution Service did not deliver a decision to us on time. This means that these documents must be banned from the case, or that the case is postponed for further processing. ‘ Platteau adds that he will dispute that Nasimeh N. knowingly participated in terrorist activities. “My client never intended to kill people, nor is she a member of a terrorist group.”
Strict security measures cause delays
There is now a long queue at the entrance of the Antwerp Law Courts. The police are massively and heavily armed at the start of the trial. Anyone who wants to enter the court is strictly monitored. Among other things, the police checks with dogs past a traffic jam that has formed on the stairs of the Butterfly Palace. They also point out the waiver rules regarding corona.
– .
