Posted on 06/18/2003 9:53:23 PM PDT by IoCaster
Canadian sets herself afire at French Embassy in London over Iranian arrests
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
LONDON (CP) - A Canadian citizen reportedly set herself on fire outside the French Embassy on Wednesday, the second such protest in two days by activists protesting French measures against an Iranian opposition group.
Meda Hassani, believed to be in her mid-20s, poured gasoline on herself and set herself on fire shortly after 7 p.m., more than an hour after a demonstration by opponents of the current Tehran regime, her friend and fellow activist Laila Jazayeri told The Associated Press.
A man involved with a similar protest in front of the French Embassy in Ottawa on Wednesday told The Canadian Press that Hassani is from Ottawa.
But Foreign Affairs spokesman Reynald Doiron said Canadian officials had not yet been able to confirm Hassani's home town or her age and were trying to track down her family.
Hassani's passport, which had been issued by the Canadian Embassy in Paris, expired two years ago, Doiron said from Ottawa late Wednesday.
London police confirmed the incident but did not have details about the woman's identity or her cause. They said her condition was serious but not life-threatening.
Doiron said his department was also trying to get information about her injuries.
"Little can be said about the medical situation," he said. "We're in touch with the medical authorities in London to determine her health condition."
The attempted suicide followed three similar fiery acts of protest carried out in Paris.
And on Tuesday outside the London embassy, a 38-year-old man set himself on fire. His injuries were called serious but not life-threatening.
Protester Jazayeri said the demonstrators, supporters of the Mujahedeen Khalq, which was raided in Paris on Tuesday, were demanding the "immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested by French government."
French police rounded up 165 members of the Mujahedeen Khalq, an Iranian opposition group accused of terrorism by the United States and the European Union.
On Wednesday, only 26 were still being held for questioning - including a highly symbolic figure, Maryam Rajavi, a leader and wife of Massoud Rajavi, chief of the Mujahedeen Khalq.
In Paris on Wednesday, three people set themselves on fire outside France's counterintelligence agency headquarters. A top French intelligence chief said the group was raided because it had planned attacks on Iranian diplomatic missions in Europe and elsewhere.
The Mujahedeen Khalq was declared a terrorist organization by the European Union in May 2002. The United States also calls the group a terrorist organization.
The Mujahedeen regard themselves as legitimate opposition to the hardline regime in Tehran, and their supporters have been campaigning to get the group removed from the list of terrorists.
they are burning fossil fuels!
I will. Does the motion carry?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.