Now if we could just get the rest of them to follow these gals lead
Fiery Death for Iranian in Paris Raid Protest
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By Laure Bretton
PARIS (Reuters) - An Iranian woman died and another struggled to survive extensive burns on Wednesday after both set themselves on fire in protest against a mass round-up in France of left-wing Iranian exiles opposed to religious rule in Tehran.
Marzieh Babakhani, aged about 40, died in hospital after setting fire to her clothes early on Wednesday at a protest of about 100 exiles at an Interior Ministry office near the Eiffel Tower, the Paris prosecutor's office said.
Protester Segigheh Mojaveri, 38, set herself ablaze later at the same protest and was taken away badly burned, said exiles on the scene. In Berne, Swiss police stopped an Iranian from doing the same after dousing himself with a flammable liquid.
"We condemn the shameful deal with the mullahs," chanted the Paris crowd, accusing France of rounding up 159 exiles early on Tuesday as a favor to the Islamic republic with which Paris maintains diplomatic relations.
By Wednesday morning, police released all but 26 of those detained in Tuesday's raids on homes and offices of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a left-wing opposition group that opposes religious rule in Iran.
The raids also netted several suitcases of $100 bills worth at least $8 million as well as a large amount of communications equipment, police said.
Judiciary sources said NCRI leader Maryam Rajavi and others still detained could face terrorism charges for allegedly planning attacks in Iran from their suburban Paris headquarters.
Rajavi is the wife of Massoud Rajavi, leading figure in the NCRI military arm the People's Mujahideen, which the European Union (news - web sites) and United States say is a terrorist organization.
In Tehran, Iranian President Mohammad Khatami (news - web sites) indicated he wanted the detainees extradited to Iran, saying: "Because Iran has been their victim...our natural request is that they be prosecuted in the place where they have committed their crimes."
NCRI officials said the Paris detainees had begun a hunger strike and that the self-immolations were spontaneous acts of protest. An Iranian set himself alight in London on Tuesday.
An NCRI official at the protest added that Babakhani had had two brothers who were killed by Iranian authorities and had been living as a refugee in France.
AIMED AT MUJAHIDEEN
Tuesday's raids were aimed at the People's Mujahideen, which is based in Iraq (news - web sites) and was recently disarmed by U.S. forces there.
As a force opposed to the Islamic state, the Mujahideen also have women in uniform who in the past have shown journalists visiting their Iraq base how well they can fire Kalashnikov automatic rifles and drive armored cars.
Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has accused the Mujahideen of wanting a "rear base" in France since being disarmed in Iraq.
Police said the detainees were rounded up on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks in a raid ordered by leading anti-terrorist investigating judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere.
The NCRI said the arrests would spark anger in Iran, but diplomats in Tehran said the group was unpopular there even among those opposed to Iran's Islamic clerical establishment.
In an unusual convergence of views, both Washington and Tehran -- who have not had diplomatic relations since the 1979 Islamic revolution -- praised the round-up on Tuesday.
The Mujahideen joined the Islamic revolution against Iran's shah but later broke ranks with the clerical leadership. Based in Iraq since the 1980s, their fighters clashed with U.S. forces in the recent war but then reached a truce with them. |
