Belgium – Nieuwsblad, Sept. 18, 2025
The wife of detained VUB professor Ahmadreza Djalali, Vida Mehrannia, together with Amnesty International, held a protest Thursday evening at the Iranian embassy in Brussels. Through the demonstration, they are demanding not only that the Iranian regime show that the Swedish-Iranian professor is still alive, but also that all Belgian and European political authorities do everything possible to secure Djalali’s release.
The last contact with Djalali was on June 23. After Israeli bombings of Evin Prison in Iran, Djalali was able to inform his family that he survived the attack and would soon be transferred. Since then, there has been no sign of life, and no one knows where the professor is being held.
Mehrannia has also expressed deep concern over her husband’s condition. “It has already been three months since we last had contact. We need proof of life and to know where he is,” she said Thursday evening during the Amnesty protest at the Iranian embassy in Brussels. “My husband is innocent. They must release him as soon as possible.”
On Thursday, Mehrannia had already met with several politicians, including Senate President Vincent Blondel, President of the Flemish Parliament Freya Van den Bossche, and Bogdan Van den Berghe, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Flemish Parliament. The Flemish Parliament plans to summon the Iranian ambassador to Belgium for a parliamentary hearing.
