12 Iranian asylum seekers were freed from detention center in Belgium.

The 12 Iranian asylum seekers, who had been facing forcible return to Iran, from Belgium, were released on 21 December. Their lawyer will now be working to ensure that they obtain a legal right to remain in Belgium.

According to the lawyer, they were freed because the necessary paperwork to deport them never arrived from the Iranian government. The Belgian authorities also reportedly stated that the 12 Iranians were freed to create more places in detention centers,

IFIR believe that international pressure, including Amnesty International Urgent Action a network, played a significant role in their release.

International Federation of Iranian Refugees
10 January 2007