Tehran Municipality to sue British Embassy

TEHRAN, Nov.1 (MNA) -- Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said the case of the British Embassy’s expropriation of the Qolhak Garden will be referred to the Judiciary. “The efforts that the British government has made since the glorious victory of the Islamic Revolution to undermine (Iran’s) national unity and territorial integrity and its seditious moves are common knowledge,” Qalibaf told a gathering of managers of the Tehran Municipality on Monday. Two points should be taken into consideration regarding the Qolhak Garden, Qalibaf said, noting, “First of all, the British Embassy in Tehran has expropriated the Qolhak Garden for years, and every freethinking Iranian has the right to call on the relevant institutions to take the measures necessary to defend the country’s inalienable rights in this regard.” “The second point is that according to reliable reports, some people affiliated with the British Embassy have started to dry, cut down, and burn trees in the Qolhak Garden over the past few days,” he stated. The fact that over 300 trees in the garden have been destroyed cannot be overlooked, Qalibaf said, adding, “I will instruct my colleagues at the Tehran Municipality to report the case of the British Embassy’s violations committed in the Qolhak Garden to the Judiciary as soon as possible, and I am sure that the judicial apparatus will quickly, meticulously, and seriously take measures to restore the rights of citizens.” “It is a matter of regret that the British government, which has adopted an affectation of being a protector of the environment and an advocate of humanitarian values, ignores the national and citizenship rights of the people of another country through taking such a measure,” the Tehran mayor stated. “We will not relinquish one iota of our citizens’ rights,” he said, adding, “The Tehran Municipality will file litigation and will pursue the issue until a clear result is achieved.”