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Iran election - Maryam Rajavi:"voters have the choice between two terrorists." |
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Friday, 17 June 2005 |
 Exiled Iranian opposition group leads election protest outside Paris
CERGY, France (AP) - Several thousand people protested Iran's
presidential election Saturday at a rally led by an exiled Iranian
opposition group that denounced the vote as a sham.
French human rights activists and political personalities joined
Iranians, who came from several countries to attend the gathering at a
stadium in the suburb of Cergy, northwest of Paris. Authorities at the
regional Val d'Oise prefecture said the rally drew between 5,000 and
7,000 people.
The protest was organized by the National Council of Resistance, the
political arm of the Mujahedeen Khalq. The group, which opposes Iran's
ultra-religious government, has been based in France since shortly
after the 1979 Islamic revolution toppled Iran's shah.
Both the United States and the European Union have placed the Mujahedeen Khalq on their lists of terrorist organizations.
Chanting: "Mullahs, No!" protesters waved posters of the husband-and-wife leaders of the Mujahedeen, Maryam and Massoud Rajavi.
Maryam Rajavi, speaking at the rally, denounced the election as an
"electoral farce" and said voters have the choice "between two
terrorists."
Iran will hold the first runoff presidential election in its history
after voters Friday failed to give any of the candidates an outright
majority and hard-liners made an unexpectedly strong showing.
The runoff will be held between political veteran Ayatollah Hashemi
Rafsanjani, a pragmatist considered the favorite from the start, and
Tehran's hard-line mayor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
At the rally outside Paris, protesters chanted: "With Maryam Rajavi,
democracy in Iran!" Those attending the demonstration included Mouloud
Aounit, head of the French anti-racism group, MRAP, former French
parliamentarian Alain Vivien and French philosopher Albert Jacquard.
The gathering also marked the second anniversary of a French police
sweep in which dozens of the Mujahedeen's members were arrested,
including Maryam Rajavi.
That set off protests, with two Mujahedeen supporters burning
themselves to death. Six others were injured after they set themselves
on fire. Seventeen people, including Rajavi, were placed under
investigation - a step short of being charged - on suspicion of
associating with or financing terrorist groups. She was held about two
weeks before being released.
The Iraq-based military wing of Rajavi's movement was disarmed by the U.S.-led occupation forces.
By PIERRE-YVES ROGER
Associated Press Writer |
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