Secret negotiations lead to release of Dutch citizen held in Iran for five years
A Dutch citizen has been released from Iran’s notorious Evin prison after five years of imprisonment. His release was secured through high-level negotiations, which also involved the Netherlands allowing an Iranian detainee to return home. The man, known only as Pim* for privacy reasons, had likely fallen victim to Iran’s practice of "hostage diplomacy," according to RTL Nieuws.
Pim, a Dutch national in his late twenties, moved to Iran several years ago to start a new life with his Iranian wife. Fluent in Farsi, he worked as a procurement officer for a tourism company specializing in adventure travel. Before his arrest, he publicly dismissed concerns about security in Iran, insisting that foreigners could still travel freely in the country.
However, in late 2019, Pim was suddenly arrested by Iranian security forces. He was accused of conspiring against the state and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was placed in Section 8 of Evin prison, known for human rights violations, including torture and arbitrary detentions. Thousands of political prisoners, activists, and foreigners accused of espionage are held there, with many facing execution.
Former cellmates described Pim as resilient, despite the harsh conditions. He was reportedly known within the prison as "the mother of all cats" due to his kindness toward the facility’s stray animals.
Pim’s case remained secret at the request of his family. Unlike other Western prisoners, his situation was never publicized. Meanwhile, other European detainees were released through high-profile prisoner swaps. These included Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele, freed after 455 days, and Swedish EU diplomat Johan Floderus, released after 790 days in Iranian custody.
Efforts to secure Pim’s freedom were slow and met with setbacks. The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs was aware of his imprisonment but avoided discussing it publicly. In 2023, Dutch lawmakers learned of Pim’s case after Parliament member Kati Piri requested information about Dutch nationals detained in Iran.
At the time, then-Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra declined to provide details. His successor, Caspar Veldkamp, took a different approach, engaging directly with Iranian officials. He established contact with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, leading to several discussions in late 2023 and early 2024. Their meeting in Amsterdam in November 2023 drew criticism from Dutch lawmakers, particularly from VVD and PVV, who argued that the Netherlands should not negotiate with Iran.
Despite political pushback, Veldkamp continued his diplomatic efforts. On February 22, 2024, he announced further discussions with Iranian officials regarding "developments in the Middle East." That same day, Iran revealed that the Netherlands had agreed to release an Iranian detainee, Mehdi Kiasti, who had been in Dutch custody since 2022. Kiasti was arrested for allegedly violating U.S. sanctions, but Washington reportedly lost interest in his extradition following political shifts in the United States.
