Reported by AFP, a number of sympathizers of the terrorist MKO demonstrated in Paris on 6 January asking for the removal of the group from the European Union’s terror list. The report evidently states that MKO is “the main Iranian armed opposition group, took part in the 1979 Islamic revolution but then took up arms against the Islamic republic”. Interestingly, the report is widely covered by MKO-run sites but none of them denounced the group’s renunciation of terrorism when it was referred to as “the main Iranian armed opposition group”.
Although never announced publically, the group claims that it has denounced terrorism since 2003. Neither the US nor the EU are convinced that it is sincere in its claims since the group is still running with its military platform in Camp Ashraf in Iraq where nearly 3500 members are held against their will. Furthermore, the demonstrators are reported to have been carrying a banner reading: “France has to apply the four verdicts of the European justice court and remove the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran from the European Union’s list of terrorism”.
In its latest judgment on 4 December 2008, the European Court of First Instance ruled that it:
1. Annuls Council Decision 2008/583/EC of 15 July 2008 implementing Article 2(3) of Regulation No 2580/2001 on specific restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities with a view to combating terrorism and repealing Decision 2007/868/EC, in so far as it concerns the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.
2. Orders the Council to bear, in addition to its own costs, the costs of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.
3. Orders the French Republic and the Commission to pay their own costs.
Thus the court has never ruled removal of the group from the terror list as MKO claims. Besides, how can a terrorist group be removed from the proscribed list while is enjoys being called an armed opposition group and glorifies terrorism?