Lawmakers have questioned Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Foreign Minister Hajja Lhabbib after delegates from Iranian and Russian cities were granted visas to attend a mayors' conference in Brussels last week. Lhabbib is specifically under scrutiny due to her approval of visa applications for citizens from two countries subject to international sanctions, just three weeks after the release of Olivier Vandecasteele, who worked for a Belgian NGO, from Iranian prison.
Belgian national radio (RTBF) reported that the Iranian delegation, while in Brussels, took photos of Belgian-Iranian MP Darya Safai and members of the Iranian opposition. Safai, who was a prominent activist in Iran before fleeing to Belgium in 2000, stated that she "no longer feels safe in Belgium."
