Brussels, 22/12/2011 (Agence Europe) - In its ruling in Case C-27/09 P handed down on Wednesday 21 December, the Court of Justice of the EU dismissed France's appeal against the judgment of the General Court in December 2008 (T-284/08) removing the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI), the main opposition movement outside the country, from the EU list of terrorist organisations. The Court ruled that the General Court rightly decided that the Council had breached the PMOI's rights of defence by failing to notify it of the grounds for its inclusion in the list before the decision was adopted. France contested the General Court's ruling, arguing that the French counter-terrorism unit had begun investigations into 24 suspected members of the organisation.
Following the line taken by Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston in her opinion (for the details, see EUROPE No 10419)), the Court found that the arguments put forward could not lead to the General Court judgment's being set aside. Maryam Rajavi, the head of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, of which the PMOI is a part, welcomed the judgment of the Court. (FG/transl.rt)