Iran demands extradition of “terrorists”
Two Iranian exiles detained on Sunday
Iran is demanding that Finland extradite two Iranian men whom it accuses of being members of the MKO organisation, which it considers a terrorist group. The two were stopped while entering Finland on Sunday.
The chairwoman of the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, Heidi Hautala (Green) says that the men came to Finland to take part in preparations for the visit of the organisation’s leader Maruam Rajavi, who was invited to Finland by the Parliament’s human rights group.
Officials held the two at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport on the basis of an international arrest warrant issued by Interpol.
Helsingin Sanomat has learned that the warrant was issued at the request of Iran. There was no suspicion that the two would commit crimes while in Finland.
The police kept the two in custody from Sunday until the Wednesday court hearing.
Police asked the court to allow the two to be kept in jail until Finland decides on Iran’s extradition request.
The court let the men go, but they were ordered not to leave the country.
The Ministry of Justice will decide on the extradition request. Helsingin Sanomat was not able to reach Minister of Justice Tuija Brax (Green).
“It is very dangerous to let them go even for a short time, as they can flee. The Finns are not used to these kinds of people”, said Iranian Ambassador Reza Nazarahari to Helsingin Sanomat on Wednesday evening.
He says that the two should be handed over to Iran to face trial.
Ambassador Nazarahari claims that the two have high positions in the MKO organisation, which the United States and the European Union officially list as a terrorist group
A number of Parliamentarians from Finland and several other countries have said that MKO should be removed from the list of terrorist organisations.
“They are still dangerous”, Nazarahari reiterated, several times.
Arto Tuomela of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said that the extradition request does not make any allegations that the two would have committed acts of terror.
“The request does not contain those words, but according to the request, serious acts are involved”, Tuomela says.
Heidi Hautala says that the men were granted exile in France decades ago. Hautala has been involved in inviting the leader of the organisation to Finland in her capacity as a member of the Parliament’s human rights group.
“It appears that Iran and Teheran are trying to do all they can to silence the opposition”, she notes.
“I feel that the starting point is that the constitution prevents the extradition of people to countries like Iran where they could face the death penalty”, Hautala says.
Minister of Justice Brax reiterated on Thursday that Finland will not extradite anyone to a country where they are in danger of facing the death penalty, torture, or inhumane treatment.
Helsingin Sanomat has learned that the men were to have taken part in a demonstration and a seminar during the meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe.
The police have informed the Ministry for Foreign Affairs about the matter because of the OSCE meeting. The Security Police have also been informed.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 4.12.2008 - TODAY |
 Iran demands extradition of “terrorists” |
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