NCRI – Majority of Belgian Senators in a joint statement called on the government and the EU Council of Ministers to remove the Iranian opposition, People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) from the EU terrorist list.
The call by the Belgian Senators follows a definitive judgment by the UK Court of Appeal on 7 May 2008 declaring that maintaining the PMOI in the list of proscribed organizations has been "perverse" and "flawed" and ordered the UK government to de-proscribe the organization.
The Belgian Senators press release is as follows:
May 28, 2008
Press release
Following a ruling in the UK Court of Appeal on 7 May 2008:
Majority of Belgian Senators call on government and Council of European Union to remove Iranian opposition, PMOI, from EU terror list
The UK Court of appeal in a definitive judgment on 7 May 2008 declared that maintaining the PMOI in the list of proscribed organisations has been "perverse" and "flawed". It ordered the UK government to de-proscribe the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI).
Following this UK verdict, 36 Senators from major political parties in Belgium signed a joint statement. Belgian senators have written:
"There is no doubt that a democratic change in Iran is not only the urgent desire of the Iranian people, but also a need for peace and tranquility it in the region, as well as a need for the Western countries. As the leader of the opposition, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, mentioned in the Belgian Senate (in October 2006) and in the European Parliament (in December 2007): This change can only be done by the Iranian people and the opposition, and only if the obstacles in this way are put aside, in particular the terrorist label on the main opposition."
"The Belgian Senate, in December 2005, and the Chamber, in April 2006, unanimously adopted two resolutions on the situation of the human rights and the role of the opposition. They called on the Belgian Government and the European Union to revise the inclusion of PMOI on the terrorist list."
On 12 December 2006, the European Court of Justice First Instance in Luxembourg annulled the Council Decision to put the PMOI in EU terrorist list.
The Belgian senators concluded: "We call upon the Belgian government and the Council of the European Union to immediately remove the PMOI from the EU terrorist list. This has proven to be a necessity for respect of human rights and for a change in Iran."
