500 jurists from 16 countries gather in Paris to discuss terrorism lists

Iran Focus: Paris, Nov. 11 – 500 international jurists, lawyers and politicians yesterday took part in a conference in the French capital to discuss the need to differentiate between terrorism and legitimate resistance to dictatorship.
The international conference was held at the invitation of nine legal and human rights institutions from several European countries. Iran Focus

Paris, Nov. 11 – 500 international jurists, lawyers and politicians yesterday took part in a conference in the French capital to discuss the need to differentiate between terrorism and legitimate resistance to dictatorship.

The international conference was held at the invitation of nine legal and human rights institutions from several European countries.

Nine eminent experts in international law, including Prof. Eric David, President of the Centre for International Law from Brussels, Prof. Henri Labayle, professor of European Law at the University of Pau, and Prof. Bill Bowring, director of Human Rights and Social Justice Research Institute from London, presented their legal opinions to the conference. Using the terror label against the main Iranian opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), they said blacklisting the movement as a terrorist organization violated international and European laws.

Maryam Rajavi, the guest of honor at the conference, told the participants, “The terror tag against the Mojahedin is a fatal political error and counter to the war on terrorism and fundamentalism. It will intensify human rights abuses in Iran.”

Other speakers included the ex-Prime Minister of Algeria, Sid Ahmad Ghozali, Yves Bonnet, former head of France’s counter-terrorist organization, DST, and parliamentarians from France, Britain, Denmark, Norway, Australia and Iraq.

A legal opinion was also read out by Prof. Jean-Yves de Cara (President of International Law Institute of Paris) on behalf of the Rt. Hon. Lord Slynn of Hadley (former judge at the European Court of Justice).

The opinions addressed what the legal experts present called “the violations of procedures, the right to defense, the principle of being presumed innocent, international humanitarian law, the legitimate right to resist against tyranny and oppression, and European Human Rights Convention”, when the PMOI was designated in the list.

Mashan Aljabouri, a member of the Iraq’s new Parliament and the Secretary General of the Watan Party, attended the conference, heading a delegation of Iraqi political personalities. He told the gathering that the presence of the PMOI in Iraq was the biggest impediment to the spread of fundamentalism.