Source: Business Wire
“In light of the UK Court of Appeal ruling to delist the MEK and absence of evidence of terrorist capability and intent in Country Reports, the Secretary of State should delist the MEK when it comes up for mandatory review in October 2008”
On 7 May 2008, the UK Court of Appeal denied the UK Government permission to challenge a November 2008 decision by the Proscribed Organisations Appeals Commission (POAC) that ordered the Government to remove the main Iranian opposition group, the Mujahedeen-e Khalq (MEK or P.M.O.I., People's Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran, as it's known in Europe) from its list of terrorist organizations.
General Thomas McInerney (Lt Gen, US Air Force Ret, IPC Advisory Council) said, "The UK Government's appeal was the last avenue of legal recourse for the Home Secretary, making the delisting of the MEK imminent." The POAC court had found in November that the MEK has not "at any time since 2003 sought to re-create any form of structure that was capable of carrying out or supporting terrorist acts. There is no evidence of any attempt to 'prepare' for terrorism. There is no evidence of any encouragement to others to commit acts of terrorism."
The Court of Appeal reiterated the finding that the MEK lacked terrorist intentions and capabilities, and added that "To the extent that the P.M.O.I. has retained networks and supporters inside Iran…they have been directed to social protest, finance and intelligence gathering activities which would not fall within the definition of 'terrorism.'"
The British Court of Appeal ruling coincides with the 30 April 2008 release of the U.S. Department of State's annual Country Reports on Terrorism. General Paul Vallely (MG, US Army Ret, IPC Advisory Council) said, "In the latest edition of Country Reports, the State Department dropped the main accusation of terrorist intent and capability from its description of the MEK." Previous editions of Country Reports had claimed that "MEK leadership and members across the world maintain the capacity and will to commit terrorist acts in Europe, the Middle East, the United State (sic), Canada, and beyond."
IPC President and former member of the National Security Council at the White House, Professor Raymond Tanter, had provided testimony to the Proscribed Organisations Appeals Commission and stated, "In light of the UK Court of Appeal ruling to delist the MEK and absence of evidence of terrorist capability and intent in Country Reports, the Secretary of State should delist the MEK when it comes up for mandatory review in October 2008, if not immediately; to do otherwise would be inconsistent with the principle that designation should be dependent upon evidence of capability and intent."
