Düsseldorf Regional Court of Appeal - Decision to Allow Inclusion of Revolutionary Guards in Terror Designation List
Several European Union countries, such as Germany, are aiming to label the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization following the ruling passed by the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court. This was revealed during an EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels.
The EU Council's legal service has verified that the decision made in Düsseldorf can act as the foundation for such a classification of the Revolutionary Guards within the EU. This judgement revealed that a state Iranian agency was involved in an attempted arson attack on a synagogue.
Israel has long advocated for the designation of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization. This stance reaffirmed after Iran's attacks on Israel in April. In the past, the EU has frequently emphasized that such a terrorist listing of the elite forces is currently impossible legally. It necessitates a court decision in a particular country or a prohibition order from a governing body. The EU Foreign Service had previously questioned whether the ruling from Düsseldorf satisfied these conditions.
A number of EU countries have now endorsed the concept of commencing the required procedures for a listing of the Revolutionary Guards in the EU Council. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) had previously publicly supported this idea. However, it remains uncertain if there's enough support from the 27 member states for a terrorist listing. A unanimous decision is necessary.
The EU's chief foreign policy representative, Josep Borrell, has been seen as an opponent of categorizing the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization within the EU so far. This is due, in part, to his efforts to persuade Iran to comply with an agreement restricting its nuclear program and preventing the development of an atomic weapon.
The verdict by the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court was passed in December following an unsuccessful arson attempt on a synagogue in Bochum. A German-Iranian person was given a two-year and nine-month prison sentence for planning a severe arson attack and attempted arson (case number III-6 StS 1/23).
The Revolutionary Guards preserve the state ideology in Iran and also prevent coup attempts. They're believed to have orchestrated the attack on Israel in April, where hundreds of rockets and drones were used. Though damages were limited, thanks to Israel's sturdy air defense system and its allies.
The proposed terrorist listing of the Gardens would mainly be a symbolic step. This is because EU sanctions already exist against them.
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- Germany, among several EU countries, intends to classify the Iranian Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, inspired by the ruling of the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court.
- Following the confirmation from the EU Council's legal service, the judgement from Düsseldorf can serve as a basis for designating the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization within the EU.
- Israel has consistently advocated for this terrorist organization designation, reinforced after Iran's attacks on Israel in April.
- The EU's legality requires a court decision in a particular country or a governing body's prohibition order to list the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization.
- Germany, led by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, supports the commencement of procedures for listing the Revolutionary Guards in the EU Council, despite uncertainty about achieving a unanimous decision from the 27 member states.
- Josep Borrell, the EU's chief foreign policy representative, has opposed categorizing the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization within the EU to encourage Iran's compliance with the nuclear program limitation agreement.
Source: www.stern.de
