Source: TIMES series newspapers, 23 August 2007
By Rebecca Lowe
More than 150 Barnet Iranians joined a demonstration urging the Government to change its policy towards the Iranian regime.
A petition signed by supporters of Iran’s main opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), was delivered to Number 10 Downing Street by three Barnet residents.
Source: TIMES series newspapers, 23 August 2007
By Rebecca Lowe
More than 150 Barnet Iranians joined a demonstration urging the Government to change its policy towards the Iranian regime.
A petition signed by supporters of Iran’s main opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), was delivered to Number 10 Downing Street by three Barnet residents.
It asked Prime Minister Gordon Brown to oppose the EU terrorist blacklisting of the People’s Mojahedin Organis-ation of Iran (PMOI) – the largest group in the NCRI – and intervene to stop mounting public executions there.
Laila Jazayeri, director of the Association of Anglo-Iranian Women, and one of the petitioners, said: "The UK Government policy of appeasement towards Tehran has helped the mullahs continue suppressing and murdering people on a daily basis.
"There have been 150 prisoners executed in Iran this year, including 30 hangings in August. The illegal re-designation of the PMOI as a terrorist organisation has only assisted the religious tyranny ruling Iran, which uses this tag to torture and execute its opponents."
The PMOI has been on the UK blacklist since 2001 and the EU blacklist, at the behest of then Home Secretary Jack Straw, since 2002.
In December 2006, the European Court of Justice ruled that the inclusion of the PMOI was unlawful.
But in 2007, a meeting of EU ministers agreed with Britain to ignore the ruling.
The PMOI is now awaiting the decision of a five-day High Court hearing, supported by 35 MPs and peers of all parties.
Masoud Zabeti, chairman of the committee of Anglo-Iranian lawyers, said: "The PMOI have not been involved in any military activity since 2001. The only reason to keep them on the list is political expediency, to curry favour with the current regime."
On June 30, the NCRI hosted a mass protest in Paris. Believed to be the largest gathering of Iranians since the 1979 revolution, more then 50,000 heard NCRI president-elect Maryam Rajavi condemn Western ‘policy of appeasement’ towards the regime.
