Sunday, June 18, 2006

On the eve of the third anniversary of the June 17 raid on the central office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran and homes of dozens of Iranian political refugees and dissidents, Paris Court of Appeals in separate rulings revoked all restrictions on Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the Iranian Resistance’s President-elect, and all those arrested on June 17, 2003. The rulings came while the investigative magistrates were insisting on continuing the restrictions.

For the past three years, Mrs. Rajavi and 16 members and supporters of the Iranian Resistance had been under judicial restrictions including the denial of the right to travel, entry to the headquarters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in Auvers-sur-Oise, and the right to have contact with each other.

Mrs. Rajavi welcomed the verdict and said, “The case was conceived at the request of the fascist theocracy ruling Iran and was solely based on lies churned out by this regime. With the latest ruling, the time has come for this dossier to be brought to an end and all proceedings halted.”, “The shameful June 17, 2003 raid was a futile attempt to destroy Iran’s democratic opposition and aid the Iranian regime. If resistance against religious despotism for freedom is considered a crime, then I and all members and supporters of the Resistance proudly accept this crime. We are determined to establish democracy in Iran. Nothing can save the clerical regime from its inevitable fall and nothing can stop the Iranian nation from attaining freedom and democracy,” she added.

Following the court ruling, dozens of Iranian and French sympathizers of the Resistance went to Mrs. Rajavi’s residence in Auvers-sur-Oise, to congratulate her. Mayors of Auvers-sur-Oise and Cergy, in the northern Paris province of Val d’Oise also joined the celebrations.