France Drops Case Against Iranian Dissidents

National Council of Resistance of Iran leader Maryam Rajavi (file photo)

French judges have dropped all charges against nine people close to an exiled Iranian opposition group first charged more than a decade ago.

The Paris prosecutor's office said on September 17 the case against the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) was closed.

The leader of the MKO's Paris-based political wing, Maryam Rajavi, called the decision a "victory of justice and resistance over collaboration" between France and Iran.

She was among dozens of sympathizers detained by Paris police in 2003 for questioning over possible links to terrorism and suspicion of money laundering.

Some, including Rajavi, were placed under formal investigation.

Rajavi was later released and some charges were dropped as the probe progressed.

Tehran considers MKO a terrorist group.

The MKO sided with Iraq during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War and was behind several attacks against Iranian officials in the 1980s.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP