Secretary Clinton - Remove Iran Opposition - MEK, from State Department FTO List

The Issue

Background Information on MEK and History of Listing: click here and http://www.delistmek.com

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State of the United States of America

Dear Secretary Clinton

We write this letter to express our support for the removal of the Iranian opposition organization, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), from the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist organization list. We urge you to end the injustice surrounding the Iranian opposition, MEK. The designation was done at the behest of the Iranian regime and as a goodwill gesture to Tehran.

Over a year ago, the Unites States Court of Appeals-DC Circuit found your predecessor’s decision to maintain the FTO designation of the MEK to be flawed. We would like to note that the UK High Court of Justice having considered all classified and unclassified evidence in 2008 had also concluded that MEK is not a terrorist organization. Thus, the UK removed MEK from its list. The high court of the European Union reached the same conclusion in three rulings from 2007 to 2009. Thus, the EU removed MEK from its list. The US congress has called for the delisting of the MEK.

Dozens of senior former US officials, women and men of integrity and patriots, have in recent months called for removing MEK from the FTO list. Over 4,000 parliamentarians around the world have called for the delisting MEK in parliamentary declarations. One hundred thousand Iranians rallied on June 18, 2011 in Paris demanding delisting of MEK.

As you are aware, nearly 3,400 members of the MEK, men and women, presently live in Camp Ashraf in Iraq. In 2009, against the wishes of the residents, US transferred the responsibility for protection of Ashraf to the Iraqi authorities. Since then, there have been two unprovoked attacks by Iraqi forces, killing dozens of innocent and unarmed residents and seriously wounding hundreds. We fear that another attack on Camp Ashraf is imminent if immediate action, including delisting, is not taken, and certainly a Srebrenica-style humanitarian disaster would follow with the impending US withdrawal at the end of 2011.

The perilous situation at Ashraf remains a matter of grave concern to us. The United States had signed an agreement with every resident of Ashraf, in which they confirmed their rejection of violence and terrorism. In return the US promised to protect them until their final disposition. The MEK members in Ashraf have kept their side of the agreement. We believe, it is the legal and moral duty of the United States of America to do its part as well and fully protect them.

Only the Iranian regime and its lobbies oppose delisting. They need the designation to justify execution of MEK supporters in Iran. They need it to justify attacking 3,400 unarmed and civilian members of the MEK living in Camp Ashraf in Iraq.

We urge you to delist the MEK and side with the Iranian people.

Sincerely,

International Solidarity for Democratic Change in Iran
and
The Undersigned

avatar of the starter
International Solidarity for Democratic Change in Iran (ISDCI)Petition StarterInternational Solidarity for Democratic Change in Iran (ISDCI) is a public benefit association comprised of members of Parliament, political dignitaries, human rights advocates and organizations throughout the world as well as different Iranian organisations, associations and personalities. ISDCI considers the current uprising in Iran as the continuation of three decades of struggle by the Iranian people against religious dictatorship with the aim of establishing democracy. ISCDI’s policy is to support the Iranian people’s uprising to end the ruling theocracy (the removal of the system of velayat-e faqih), and to establish a pluralistic republic based on the separation of Religion and State. ISCDI will cooperate with and support the activities of organisations, associations, political groups and individuals who adhere to the above-mentioned principles.
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The Issue

Background Information on MEK and History of Listing: click here and http://www.delistmek.com

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State of the United States of America

Dear Secretary Clinton

We write this letter to express our support for the removal of the Iranian opposition organization, the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), from the State Department’s Foreign Terrorist organization list. We urge you to end the injustice surrounding the Iranian opposition, MEK. The designation was done at the behest of the Iranian regime and as a goodwill gesture to Tehran.

Over a year ago, the Unites States Court of Appeals-DC Circuit found your predecessor’s decision to maintain the FTO designation of the MEK to be flawed. We would like to note that the UK High Court of Justice having considered all classified and unclassified evidence in 2008 had also concluded that MEK is not a terrorist organization. Thus, the UK removed MEK from its list. The high court of the European Union reached the same conclusion in three rulings from 2007 to 2009. Thus, the EU removed MEK from its list. The US congress has called for the delisting of the MEK.

Dozens of senior former US officials, women and men of integrity and patriots, have in recent months called for removing MEK from the FTO list. Over 4,000 parliamentarians around the world have called for the delisting MEK in parliamentary declarations. One hundred thousand Iranians rallied on June 18, 2011 in Paris demanding delisting of MEK.

As you are aware, nearly 3,400 members of the MEK, men and women, presently live in Camp Ashraf in Iraq. In 2009, against the wishes of the residents, US transferred the responsibility for protection of Ashraf to the Iraqi authorities. Since then, there have been two unprovoked attacks by Iraqi forces, killing dozens of innocent and unarmed residents and seriously wounding hundreds. We fear that another attack on Camp Ashraf is imminent if immediate action, including delisting, is not taken, and certainly a Srebrenica-style humanitarian disaster would follow with the impending US withdrawal at the end of 2011.

The perilous situation at Ashraf remains a matter of grave concern to us. The United States had signed an agreement with every resident of Ashraf, in which they confirmed their rejection of violence and terrorism. In return the US promised to protect them until their final disposition. The MEK members in Ashraf have kept their side of the agreement. We believe, it is the legal and moral duty of the United States of America to do its part as well and fully protect them.

Only the Iranian regime and its lobbies oppose delisting. They need the designation to justify execution of MEK supporters in Iran. They need it to justify attacking 3,400 unarmed and civilian members of the MEK living in Camp Ashraf in Iraq.

We urge you to delist the MEK and side with the Iranian people.

Sincerely,

International Solidarity for Democratic Change in Iran
and
The Undersigned

avatar of the starter
International Solidarity for Democratic Change in Iran (ISDCI)Petition StarterInternational Solidarity for Democratic Change in Iran (ISDCI) is a public benefit association comprised of members of Parliament, political dignitaries, human rights advocates and organizations throughout the world as well as different Iranian organisations, associations and personalities. ISDCI considers the current uprising in Iran as the continuation of three decades of struggle by the Iranian people against religious dictatorship with the aim of establishing democracy. ISCDI’s policy is to support the Iranian people’s uprising to end the ruling theocracy (the removal of the system of velayat-e faqih), and to establish a pluralistic republic based on the separation of Religion and State. ISCDI will cooperate with and support the activities of organisations, associations, political groups and individuals who adhere to the above-mentioned principles.

The Decision Makers

Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State

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