Farid Soleymani, member of the National Council of...

Farid Soleymani, member of the National Council of Iranian Resistance, political front of the armed opposition Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization [MKO], said that the Iraqi Governing Council's decision to expel MKO members from Iraqi territory is "illegitimate". He told Al-Sharq al-Awsat in London that Iraq "is under US occupation. According to the Geneva Conventions, the US administration is responsible for [protecting] the lives of MKO members. Handing over MKO members to the Iranian government means sending them to be executed, since Khomeyni had issued a fatwa [religious ruling] allowing the shedding of their blood and the confiscation of their funds. This fatwa has the force of law and is still effective." Soleymani said the MKO members are "political refugees in a civilized country like Iraq". He noted that Paul Bremer, US civilian ruler of Iraq, has promised not to hand over the MKO members to Iran and that the US administration will search for a safe place for them other than Iraq.