Open letter warns that Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken’s invitation to the son of the former shah contradicts the government’s balanced position and risks giving preferential treatment to one Iranian political faction
Thirty-two prominent Belgian figures, including members of parliament and representatives of the country’s academic, legal, and political communities, have called on Prime Minister Bart De Wever to intervene and cancel a planned appearance by Reza Pahlavi at Belgium’s Royal Military Academy on November 6.
In an open letter to the prime minister, the signatories expressed deep concern over Defense Minister Theo Francken’s decision to host Pahlavi for a working breakfast and a speaking engagement at the military institution. They argued that the initiative contradicts the balanced position previously adopted by the Belgian government and reflected in a decision by the Federal Parliament.
The letter was circulated by Gérard Deprez, an honorary government minister, who urged the prime minister to consider the political and institutional consequences of the invitation and intervene to cancel the official event.
The signatories recalled that Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot had previously emphasized the diversity of Iran’s opposition movements and the importance of avoiding any impression that Belgium was endorsing a particular individual or political faction as the future representative of Iran.
Following Prévot’s position, the Conference of Presidents of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives decided against organizing an official parliamentary event for Pahlavi.
The 32 signatories argue that the same principle of political impartiality must apply to the Defense Ministry’s initiative.
Concerns over the Pahlavi dynasty’s authoritarian legacy
The letter explains that the caution expressed by Belgium’s foreign minister was grounded in serious historical and political considerations.
“The Shah’s dictatorship eliminated political pluralism, established a one-party system, and relied on SAVAK to imprison, torture, and repress its political opponents,” the signatories wrote.
They also questioned Reza Pahlavi’s relationship with his father’s political legacy, noting that he has repeatedly expressed pride in his father’s rule and his family’s achievements rather than clearly distancing himself from the former dictatorship.
The signatories further expressed concern over the open glorification of SAVAK by some of Pahlavi’s supporters, including the display of its symbols and calls to rehabilitate an institution widely associated with political repression and torture.
These concerns, they argued, cannot be separated from the political implications of providing Pahlavi with an official platform at a state military institution.
Defense Minister’s invitation contradicts Belgium’s stated position
The open letter directly challenges any attempt to portray the planned reception as a politically neutral or merely institutional engagement.
“Such a reception can in no way be considered politically neutral,” the signatories stressed. “Regardless of its stated purpose, this initiative could precisely create the impression that the government is showing preference and granting an advantage to a particular political current.”
They warned that the Defense Minister’s decision undermines the careful position adopted by the government and subsequently reflected in the Federal Parliament’s decision to refrain from hosting an official event.
The letter therefore calls for the November 6 program at the Royal Military Academy to be canceled.
No legitimacy for either dictatorship
Concluding their appeal, the 32 Belgian figures emphasized that Belgium should stand firmly with the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom, democracy, and human rights.
“Belgium must stand firmly alongside the Iranian people in their struggle for freedom, democracy, and human rights—not lend legitimacy to the ruling religious dictatorship, nor to the return of an authoritarian regime,” the letter states.
The intervention highlights a fundamental distinction between supporting the Iranian people’s democratic aspirations and endorsing a particular political figure who seeks to present himself as their representative.
The signatories’ position is that Belgium should support the Iranian people’s right to determine their own political future, without conferring official legitimacy on either the ruling religious dictatorship or the authoritarian monarchy that preceded it.