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Iranian diplomat convicted of planning France bomb attack drops prison appeal

An Iranian diplomat sentenced to 20 years in prison for planning a bomb attack in France has dropped his appeal in Belgium and will serve a prison sentence, lawyers said on Wednesday.
Prosecutors ruled out a swap of Western prisoners in Iran for him.
Assadolah Assadi was found guilty of attempted terrorism in February after a foiled plot to bomb a rally of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a French-based dissident group opposed to the leadership in Tehran, near Paris in June 2018.
The trial was the first time an Iranian official was tried for suspected terrorism in Europe since Iran’s 1979 revolution.
Assadi decided not to appeal, his lawyer told reporters in Antwerp, the Belgian city where he was sentenced on Feb. 4.
“For me, it stops here. My client does not recognize the competency of Belgian justice to judge him,” Assadi’s lawyer Dimitri de Beco said.
He said that as the third counsellor at Iran’s embassy in Vienna, Assadi had diplomatic immunity.
However, in February, judges ruled that any diplomatic immunity did not protect him from facing terrorism charges. Assadi did not attend his court hearings or sentencing, which was held behind closed doors in high security.
Assadi was arrested in Germany before being transferred to Belgium for trial. In its ruling, the Belgium court said he was running an Iranian state intelligence network and was acting on orders from Tehran.
Prosecution lawyer Georges-Henri Beauthier said in Antwerp there were guarantees from the Belgium state that there would be no swap of Assadi for Western prisoners in Iran, citing a separation of powers between justice and political decisions.
“The Belgian government will not discuss (a prisoner swap),” he said.
source: Reuters
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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