Excerpts of the speech of Tahar Boumedra, Human Rights Lawyer, Former Chief of Un Human Rights Mission in Iraq, at the Free Iran 2022, is as follows:
Ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to address you as a civil party in the case of Assadollah Assadi, very well that the rule of law has prevailed, and Assadi has been condemned. But unfortunately, the interference of the politicians in the due process of law has undermined the judicial system in Belgium.
In fact, it undermines the whole judicial system of the European Union. And the Belgian government and the European Union have invested and spent millions of euros in promoting the rule of law and human rights, democracy, and freedom. But the same people have now undermined all that they have built throughout the years.
All that investment is undermined. And I think those behind this decision to extradite Assadollah Assadi to Tehran should be held accountable. Now, we must say that if ever Assadollah Assadi is extradited to Tehran, the European Union and the Brussels government would lose all its credibility.
I would like also to refer to the second case that was entertained by the court in Stockholm in 2018, in a conference here in Ashraf-3.
I said the most probable way of dealing with the cases of the 1988 massacre was through the universal jurisdiction. And indeed, the Swedish court has enjoyed the universal jurisdiction. We held this decision, but we also warned that the politicians will not follow the experience of the Belgians. In trying to make a deal, we will say no.
The Mojaheidin has always fought their cases before the courts of law. They always won. We won the case in Stockholm; we won the case in Belgium. We won previously many other cases before the courts of law, independent courts.
Now the politicians interfere and undermine the rule of law. We say to them, our civil society will stand firm against this, and we will make sure that those people who undermine the independence of justice should hold accountable. Thank you very much.
