UNCORRECTED TRANSCRIPT OF ORAL EVIDENCE To be published as HC 192-i
3. Members who receive this for the purpose of correcting questions addressed by them to witnesses are asked to send corrections to the Committee Assistant.
4. Prospective witnesses may receive this in preparation for any written or oral evidence they may in due course give to the Committee. …. Q97 Malcolm Bruce: Just on that, Prime Minister, the main democratic opposition to the Iranian regime is the People’s Mujahideen organisation of Iran, which has been proscribed in this country. The proscribed organisation’s appeals committee have said that they are not involved in terrorism and that the refusal of the Home Secretary to de-proscribe them was flawed, perverse and must be set aside. Why does the Government not accept that?
Mr Brown: I have looked at that issue that you raise. It is certainly, however, the case that the organisation that you describe has been, in the past, involved in terrorist activity, and I do not think there is any doubt about the evidence that that has been the case. Therefore, to proscribe an organisation that has been involved in terrorist activity seems the right thing to do by the decisions of this Government to be consistent with other decisions that we make. Q98 Malcolm Bruce: We have accepted sometimes that terrorist organisations can change their ways? Mr Brown: But I do not think we have that evidence.