During a meeting held to commemorate the anniversary of the return of Iran’s prisoners of war on August 17, 1990, Raisi criticized those who claim to advocate for human rights, saying that they have shown that they do not adhere to any law and have violated international principles by breaching diplomatic immunity.
Meanwhile, Assadi presented a report on his imprisonment in Germany and Belgium.
Belgian police arrested Assadi in June 2018, accusing him of plotting an attack against the anti-Iran Mujahedin-e Khalq (MKO) terrorist organization, which has been strongly rejected by the former diplomat and Iranian authorities. A Belgian court then sentenced Assadi, who served as the third counselor at the Iranian embassy in Vienna, to 20 years in prison.
Iran had repeatedly condemned the violation of Assadi's diplomatic immunity and made every effort to secure his release in negotiations with Belgian authorities.