Among the speakers at the conference were Patrick Baudouin, honorary president of the International Human Rights Federation; Pierre Bercis, Chairman of the New Human Rights of France and Bernard Dartevelle, French jurist.
Referring to the June 17 raids, Baudouin said, "The immediate release of most of those arrested proved that the charges against them were unfounded and the case was empty. We predicted at the time that this case was going to end up in a fiasco as it did. The case was like a balloon which was burst by the decision of the Paris Court of Appeals."
Baudouin described the June 17 case as being part of a political deal between the clerical regime and the government of France and stipulated that other charges against members of the Iranian Resistance such as money laundering were absolutely unfounded. He called for an end to the case and demanded the French government to return all the Resistance’s property.
Bercis said: "Our struggle in support of the People’s Mojahedin of Iran goes back 20 years. … I wanted to congratulate the ruling of the Paris Court of Appeals. We are only fulfilling our duty by supporting the People’s Mojahedin. We scored a victory in one of the stages. The judicial and political struggle goes on."
The New Human Rights Chair added: "When the June 17 raid took place we thought it was a slap in the face of the people of France. This is why we are happy today that the Paris Court of Appeals dropped the restrictions."
His remarks were echoed by Dartevelle who said that the appeals court ruling was a slap in the face of the investigative magistrates and all those involved in masterminding the June 17 case. "This shows that all their charges against the Resistance were completely baseless. The terrorist charge against the Mojahedin has been undermined. On the international level, the ruling is a slap on the face of all those who have designated the PMOI in the terror list," said the French Jurist as he called for the complete closure of the June 17 case.
The Foreign Affairs Committee Chair of the NCRI, Mohammad Mohaddessin, also welcomed the ruling by the Paris Court of Appeals however said that it insufficient and called for an end to the of June 17 dossier.
Based on a confidential report by the mullahs’ Intelligence Ministry, Mohaddessin revealed that the June 17, 2003 operation had been planned two and a half years in advance of the raid by the French internal secret service (DST) and it gradually passed through its legal stages. The details of the operation were drawn in joint meetings between the French secret service and the mullahs’ Intelligence Ministry. This is a shocking episode where the anti-espionage service of a democratic Western country cooperated closely with the Iranian regime’s Intelligence Ministry which is notorious for murders and assassinations.
Pierre Mousset, a resident of Auvers-sur-Oise, where Mrs. Rajavi’s residence is located, presented the statement signed by 300,000 French citizens in support of the Iranian Resistance and its President-elect to the reporters.
Abolqasem Rezaii, deputy head of the NCRI’s secretariat, who had been banned from traveling to the Resistance’s office in Auvers-sur-Oise, told the press conference that the recent court ruling was represented a total rejection of all terrorist and money laundering charges against the Iranian Resistance.
"Those involved in filing the case claimed that the NCRI’s finances were not transparent. I told them from day one that I was in charge of the Resistance’s finances and that they could ask all their questions from me, but they did not speak to me even once… now that the falsity of the case and all those charges are proven, why do they not close the file? Why do they not return the properties of a movement which is under suppression? How many more years should our 200 computers remain in their possession for checks? Why do they not return $8 million belonging to the NCRI whose sources are all transparent? Why do they not return the personal money of individuals which were taken during June 17 raid? They know well that like the terrorism charge, the financial charges are also going to be proven false," he said.
Other members of the NCRI whose restrictions were removed told the press conference that it was time for the June 17 file to be terminated as an empty case and an apology be offered to the Resistance.