"Paris also sheltered Ayatollah Khomeini"

Ayatollah Khomeini at Neauphle-le-chateau

French Embassy in Tehran announced that its old custom of welcoming “exiles” was also extended to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini the leader of the Iranian Revolution. Iranian authorities have criticized the French Embassy for giving shelter to post-election protesters whilst the mass demonstrations in June were under attack by government forces. French Embassy in Tehran posted an announcement on its site reminding Iran that Ayatollah Khomeini was welcomed by France under the same democratic tradition of sheltering government dissidents.

Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was forced into exile by the Shah of Iran in 1964. He first settled in Iraq but after being forced to leave Iraq, in 1978, he went to France where he settled in the outskirts of Paris at Neauphle-le-chateau. From there he continued his political activities against the Shah and finally returned to Iran in 1979 as the leader of the Revolution that toppled the Iranian monarchy and established the Islamic Republic.

During the post-election unrest, the French and Italian Embassies in Tehran had announced that they would give shelter to injured and pursued protesters. Iran condemned this policy as interventionist. Iranian authorities arrested a French Embassy employee and a French citizen in connection with the unrest. Iran-France relationships became tense as Iran put these two women amongst other detainees on trial for charges of threatening national security and inciting unrest. Nauzak Afshar and Clotilde Reiss are currently released on bail still awaiting the decision of the court.

Iranian Ambassador to France in an interview with Le Parisien yesterday accused Reiss of nuclear espionage for France. Bernard Kouchner, French Foreign Minister, denied the accusation.