Olivier Vandecasteele is an experienced Belgian humanitarian aid worker who was arbitrarily arrested and taken state hostage in Iran on 24 February 2022.

Since at least 2004, Olivier Vandecasteele has worked for international humanitarian organisations, including Médecins du Monde and Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) a.o.

Amnesty International, the experts of the United Nations and the UN Human Rights Council's Arbitrary Detention Working stated that Vandecasteele had been subjected to enforced disappearance, torture, and other ill-treatment.

[14] Through a dedicated emergency fund, Protect Humanitarians provides concrete support to NGOs and their staff, survivors of attacks and/or victims’ relatives.

The NGO also develops research and learning to promote best practices in staff care, mental health and legal assistance to survivors after incidents.