The Scotsman on Sat. Dec. 15, published an article written By former Home Office Minister, Right honorable Lord WADDINGTON about the rule of law and policy toward Iranian regime. The following is some parts of the article:
IN A landmark judgment last month, the Proscribed Organisations Appeals Commission (POAC) ruled that Iran’s main democratic opposition, the People’s Mujahideen Organisation of Iran (PMOI), is not concerned in terrorism.
It further found the Home Secretary’s decision to refuse an application made by 35 MPs and peers for the de-proscription of the PMOI was “flawed”, “perverse” and “must be set aside”, and ordered that the Secretary of State lay before parliament the draft of an order under section 3(3)(b) of the Terrorism Act 2000, removing the PMOI from the list of proscribed organisations in schedule 2…
The judgment is a victory for the rule of law in our democratic society for those who hope and strive for democracy in Iran. After the many blunders of the government in its dealings with the mullahs and its futile hopes that they would moderate their policies, our judiciary has upheld the rule of law and opened the way for a policy that truly serves the interests of the people of the United Kingdom while respecting our democratic values.
Such a policy, in our view, should not involve attempts to appease the regime but should bring home to the mullahs that their contempt for human rights and defiance of the United Nations as they work to arm themselves with nuclear weapons has earned the condemnation of all decent people.
It is a moral imperative to remove all “unlawful” obstructions on the opposition PMOI, so it can freely engage with the international community and organise legitimate resistance to the dictatorship ruling Iran and threatening the world today. The PMOI and the resistance’s parliament-in-exile, NCRI, have demonstrated their commitment to democratic values as they have fought to clear their name through the courts. But, more importantly, they have won great sympathy and support for their fight for human rights in Iran, for their constructive role in engaging difficult issues in Iraq and the region, and for their plans for a secular, democratic Iran.
The policy of dialogue with Iran’s fundamentalist regime is in tatters. The mullahs have made clear they have no intention of halting uranium enrichment or limiting their nuclear programmes, and they continue to foment crises and interfere in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon.
Surely the time has come for the Secretary of State to accept the judgment of POAC and take immediate steps to carry out its order and lay before parliament the draft of an order under section 3(3)(b) of the Terrorism Act 2000 removing the PMOI from the list of proscribed organisations. It will then be for the Secretary of State to get the European Union to comply with the judgment of the European Court of Justice, due to the fact the PMOI’s inclusion in the EU terror list was at the behest of the United Kingdom after the organisation’s proscription in the UK.
The British government should engage in dialogue with the Iranian resistance, recognising the right of the Iranian people to self-determination and to democratic change in their country.
It should work towards the adoption of a firm policy towards the Iranian regime through resolutions at the UN Security Council over the regime’s human rights abuses, support for terrorism, interference in Iraq/Afghanistan and pursuit of nuclear weapons. The government would certainly do well to work with other EU states to list the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist entity and impose comprehensive arms, trade, oil and technology sanctions against the regime.