Justice for Iran: Interview with William Bourdon

NCRI – In an interview with the 22 July issue of French newspaper Sud-Ouest, the chairman of the International Committee of Jurists in Defense of Victims of the Crackdown in Iran, William Bourdon, explained the objectives of this newly formed committee. The interview with the prominent French jurist, entitled, “Justice for Iran,” was published on Wednesday, and an expert is as follows.
In response to a question about the objectives of the international committee of jurists in defense of victims of the uprising in Iran, Mr. Bourdon said: the goal was to form an international network to take away the immunity enjoyed by the Iranian regime’s leaders. The other objective was to condemn those who commit the suppression and to also protect the victims of the tragedies in Iran and their families. Since the election in Iran, 300 protesters have been killed, thousands arrested, and 5000 more placed under torture in prisons. According to international law, such actions, specially torture, are considered to be crimes against humanity and the highest levels of the regime’s leadership are responsible for the offenses.
Asked about his views on the human rights situation in Iran, the French jurist responded: Iran has one of the most cruel governments in the world. This situation has been ongoing for years. In the 1980s, more than 30,000 people from the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) were arbitrarily executed. Torture and punishment by hanging are carried out extensively. The recent events have intensified this trend.
Bourdon noted that the international committee of jurists seeks to refer the case of Iranian regime leaders to the international tribunal in The Hague. Regarding the other initiatives of the committee, he said: “We can get professional help from Iran based lawyers as long as we are certain about their safety. Many of them have been imprisoned. In some cases, European law allows us to present cases to judicial authorities at the request of human rights associations and nongovernment organizations. In such cases there is no need for the actual presence of the victim. Iranian exiles can also present their cases and complaints. Defending the victims means that we give them the opportunity to take advantage of the law to pave the way for identifying and pursuing the perpetrators of suppression. The organizational chart of the Iranian regime’s suppressive machine has been identified as well as those who commit torture. This gives us the required legal setting to facilitate our complaints.”