NCRI – “Today, Europe is facing a great injustice. The resistance of a nation against religious fascism has been unjustly labeled as terrorist for economic interests. Today, in the public opinion, the Council of the European Union is accused of violating the rule of law and cooperating with a terrorist regime,” said Maryam Rajavi in a conference in Brussels on March 8.
NCRI – “Today, Europe is facing a great injustice. The resistance of a nation against religious fascism has been unjustly labeled as terrorist for economic interests. Today, in the public opinion, the Council of the European Union is accused of violating the rule of law and cooperating with a terrorist regime,” said Maryam Rajavi in a conference in Brussels on March 8.
The conference was attended by dozens of parliamentarians and many journalists who discussed the ruling of the European Court of First Instance on the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) and the defiance of the Council of Ministers in implementing the ruling. The conference was held just before a huge demonstration by 30,000 Iranians calling for rule of law.
Here is the text of Mrs Rajavi’s speech:
I thank the parliamentary groups in European Parliament, United Kingdom, Scandinavia and France for inviting me to this conference. On behalf of the Iranian People’s Resistance I would like, to extend my gratitude to all parliamentarians and jurists who have stood up for justice.
You have correctly called on the European Union to comply with the ruling of the Court of First Instance which annulled the inclusion of the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran in the terrorist list. You are the voice of Europe for justice and rule of law against the injustice of the Council of the European Union.
Those who neglect this judgment in any way violate the Courts decision and ignore the rule of law – which makes the pillar of democracy. The Council claims that it will comply with the Court judgment, improve its procedures and would therefore continue to maintain the PMOI in the list.
The Court clearly said that including the PMOI in the list was illegal right from the start. The Council accepted this and did not appeal the verdict.
After five years of enchaining the PMOI by terrorism list and after the Court ruled it illegal, rather than offering a simple apology to the PMOI, the Council insists that it will continue to enchain the PMOI but will improve its procedures to do so.
This makes a mockery of the rule of law. We are therefore, facing a matter far beyond injustice. It is a self-serving approach; violating justice, law, democracy and human rights.
In that past few weeks 1000 parliamentarians from across Europe have denounced Council’s defiance and called for the judgment to be carried out. The Council has failed to show that it really intends to comply with the Court ruling.
-Refusing to remove the PMOI from the terrorist list defies the Court ruling.
-Continuing to freeze the PMOI’s assets is yet another defiance of the Court order.
-The Council’s intention to “maintain” the PMOI in the list is unlawful since PMOI is not legally on any list.
-The Council statement of reasons lacks the required standard set by law including “precise information” and “serious credible evidence” at the present.
The PMOI has responded to the Council, stressing that its fundamental rights including fair hearing continues to be violated as it has not been given any evidence to justify its inclusion in Two thousand seven.
Today, Europe is facing a great injustice. The resistance of a nation against religious fascism has been unjustly labeled as terrorist for economic interests. Today, in the public opinion, the Council of the European Union is accused of violating the rule of law and cooperating with a terrorist regime.
This is the plain truth. It will leave a stain on Europe for ever. But let it be known that truth is on the march, and nothing shall stop it…
Allow me here to underscore that the EU policy of impeding the Iranian Resistance in order to appease the mullahs is a strategic mistake with damaging consequences for global peace and security.
European leaders bear the prime responsibility in this regard. This is a moment of choice for Leaders of Europe: The choice between respecting the rule of law or an arbitrary behavior; between justice and injustice; between war and peace and between freedom for the Iranian people and the continuing rule of religious fascism.
Submitting to the mullahs’ demands to restrict the main actor for change in Iran by labeling it as terrorist is to share in the suppression of the Iranian people. It means helping prolong the religious fascism and contributing to the spread of fundamentalism and terrorism across the region.
It means giving mullahs’ regime the opportunity to obtain nuclear weapons, and intensify its meddling in Iraq, Lebanon and Palestine. This would lead to a destructive war.
The right choice for Europe is to end the policy of appeasement and side with the Iranian people.
