State of PMOI members residing in Ashraf, Iraq, must be kept in forefront of our minds – Lord Slynn

Friday, 22 December 2006

NCRI – Rt. Hon. Lord Slynn of Hadley, former judge at the European Court of Justice addressed the issue of proscription of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) in a conference held at the British Houses of Parliament on December 7. Excerpts of his speech follow:

The proscription of the PMOI has had political effects, restrictions on democratic rights not just in Iran and Iraq but in other countries as well, including our own. All these are very important matters to be kept on the boil in the movement to achieve democracy and freedom inside Iran, but in addition to that there is a group, although it hasn’t been mentioned this morning and that isn’t a criticism. The group of people, members of the PMOI and supporters of the NCRI from Iran who are in Ashraf in Iraq must be kept in the forefront of our minds, because what is relevant for them is not the immediate restrictions they may face, it is the threats they are occasionally mooted against.

We all know, all of you in this room I am aware know of the way in which the supply of water and electricity to that camp have been cut off. We all know that from time to time there have been restrictions on the ability of the people in Ashraf, for whom I have the highest admiration, to get food and medicines at the prices which are available to everybody else and which are manageable.

There have been recently suggestions although the government does not seem to be mercifully has not found to be determined or united about it, there have been suggestions that the people in the camp Ashraf will have to leave Iraq and indeed the suggestion that some of them will be sent back to Iran. I do not need to speak the words as to what would happen if those people were sent back to Iran. You are well aware of the risk which they would run and so what is important and this is the one point I wish to make. What is important is that in addition to the great political movement which is represented by this policy paper and by the speech of Mrs. Rajavi. What is important is that we should continue to pressurize.