Belgium Opens Investigation into Alleged Human Rights Violations by Former

On March 2nd 2000, Belgian investigating magistrate Damien Vandermeersch announced his intention to investigate a complaint against former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Rafsanjani is suspected of being an accomplice to unlawful detention, torture and physical and moral cruelty during the period 1983-89. Factual basis for the complaint is a six-year long detention of a Teheran-born Belgian citizen, who was an active member of the Iranian Communist Party Toedeh in the eighties. In 1982, the party was outlawed by ayatollah Komeini, on ground of suspicions of espionage. As many of his fellow party members, plaintiff was arrested and imprisoned. After six-years of imprisonment, he was released, but prevented from leaving Teheran for another seven years...[more]