Tehran Times

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

The Eternal Illusion

The summer of 1988 witnessed a dramatic clash between Iran and the Mujahedin-e Khalq (aka MEK, MKO, PMOI) terrorist group. In the wake of an eight-year war with Iraq, Iran faced a renewed threat on its western borders. The MEK launched an offensive codenamed Operation Forough-e Javidan (Eternal Light), aiming for a swift overthrow of the Iranian government. Their gamble, however, met with a fierce Iranian response – Operation Mersad, conducted on July 27, 1988.

With Iran’s acceptance of UN Resolution 598, the illusion that had sustained the MEK began to crumble. Threatened by the prospect of an end to the war, they launched a desperate propaganda campaign. Painting Iran’s acceptance of the resolution as a sign of weakness, they plunged headlong into a dangerous fantasy: the invasion of Iran.

On July 25, 1988, fueled by delusion and bolstered by the support of Iraq’s Ba’athist regime, the MEK’s Liberation Army set out from their Iraqi bases. At 4 pm, they crossed the Khosravi border, marking the beginning of Operation Eternal Light. Their plan envisioned reaching Tehran within 48 hours, maintaining a minimum speed of 70 kilometers per hour (1).

In their delusion, they aimed to traverse the cities of Sarpol-e Zahab, Islamabad, Hamadan, and Qazvin in five stages within 33 hours to reach Tehran. The Iraqi government supported them with substantial military aid, including 120 tanks, 400 armored personnel carriers, 90 (80mm) mortars, 30 (122mm) cannons, 150 (400mm) mortars, 1000 Kalashnikov assault rifles, 30 (106mm) cannons, and 1000 trucks and vehicles.

As the MEK launched their ground invasion, a coordinated aerial assault unfolded. Iraqi jets and helicopters pounded Iranian airbases like Hamedan’s Shahid Nojeh, Dezful, Havanirooz 1st Combat Base in Kermanshah, and Saqqez 2nd Brigade Base (2).

A number of battalions employing 130-mm Field Artillery lined up west of Sarpol-e Zahab, raining fire down on Iranian positions guarding the Patagh Pass, clearing the way for the MEK’s advance. Iraqi aircraft also took out communication towers in Kerend, further isolating the Iranian forces. Attack helicopters hovered over the MEK’s frontline, spewing fire at Iranian troops and tanks stationed at the pass.

With MEK’s rapid advance, the Gilan-e Gharb border region became a scene of mass killings. In Islamabad, the MEK stormed and destroyed government buildings, unleashing a wave of terror in a grotesque attempt to win over the population (3).

Fierce clashes with civilians

While the MEK encountered minimal resistance on the southern fronts due to a stronger Iranian presence elsewhere, their dreams of a jubilant welcome in Kerend were dashed. Instead of open arms, they were met with fierce defiance. Gendarmerie forces, Revolutionary Guards, and even civilians banded together at the city’s entrance, putting up a valiant fight against them. The clash triggered a mass exodus. Families fled, seeking refuge in Islamabad or the surrounding mountains. By nightfall, Kerend stood eerily empty, a town surrendered to the MEK.

One brigade remained to secure the city, while the others, fixated on the “advance with maximum speed” strategy, pressed onward to Islamabad. Here too, the MEK encountered pockets of resistance. Local forces and government centers engaged in scattered clashes that stretched into the night. Meanwhile, the city’s residents poured towards Kermanshah, clogging the Islamabad-Kermanshah road with panicked families. The Hassan Abad Pass and Chahar Zebar Gorge were sealed shut.

Driven by their delusional belief in “popular support,” several MEK columns sped towards Kermanshah after capturing Islamabad. However, their momentum was halted before reaching Chahar Zebar Gorge by the very “support” they craved – the heavy traffic of fleeing civilians. The illusion shattered, the MEK vanguard faced its first real challenge. Their lead Jeep was ripped apart by an RPG, sparking a battle around the Hassan Abad Pass and Chahar Zebar Gorge. Despite heavy casualties on both sides, nightfall brought no victory. The following day (Day 2) saw renewed clashes, with the MEK commanders ordering desperate attacks. Each attempt, however, proved futile, leaving behind a trail of carnage and dwindling resources.

The MEK’s heavy losses

The MEK’s “advance with maximum speed” strategy unraveled within hours. The geographical conditions of the region, coupled with the effective tactics and deployment of Iranian forces (both the army and Revolutionary Guards), left the MEK floundering. Their offensive stalled, unable to attack, defend, or even maneuver effectively.

This vulnerability became increasingly glaring as time went on. Panic gripped the MEK ranks, particularly those recruited from outside Iran. These individuals, lured by political promises, had never experienced the horrors of war – the deafening roar of weapons, and the rain of bullets. Now, they found themselves thrust into the heart of a brutal conflict. Many were cut down in the opening moments, easy targets due to their lack of training and battlefield awareness. Their unfamiliarity with basic weaponry like the Kalashnikov left them unprepared for close-quarter combat. According to eyewitnesses, they peeked from trenches, offering themselves up as easy targets due to their inexperience.

The MEK leadership’s decision to promote inexperienced female commanders for political gain further compounded these problems. Many of these women lacked battlefield expertise, having served previously in logistical or political roles. Thrust into the role of tactical commanders, their inexperience proved deadly.

Continuous attacks from the Iranian Air Force and helicopters pounded the MEK forces. Helicopter-borne assaults from the surrounding hills inflicted further damage. Any attempt at movement became suicidal. The MEK found themselves desperately clinging to their positions, communication with command centers severed. Casualties mounted rapidly – commanders killed, wounded, or forced to retreat. The once-confident MEK offensive lay in tatters. Senior commanders pleaded with their leader for increased Iraqi air support. Mahboubeh Jamshidi (alias Azar), commander of the vanguard forces, even requested a chemical attack. However, Saddam Hussein’s attention had shifted. The botched Iraqi offensive on Ahvaz demanded his focus, leaving the MEK largely on their own. While Iraqi jets had initially participated in Operation Eternal Light, their presence dwindled by the second day. A lone helicopter, shot down by Iranian anti-aircraft near Kerend, showed this waning support.

By day three, the southern fronts had consumed all Iraqi air resources. No further support materialized, save for a few helicopters used to evacuate casualties. Faced with mounting losses – over 1,500 dead in just three days, according to the MEK’s own records – Rajavi was forced to make a desperate choice. Orders crackled through radios and walkie-talkies: retreat. It was a desperate scramble for survival. The MEK’s casualty list, while claiming only 1,500 dead, hinted at a far more devastating reality. More were wounded or missing. Only a meager 30 managed to escape back to Iraq. According to an MEK intelligence report, the remaining forces were scattered – killed or captured in clashes across the mountainous regions around Kerend, Islamabad, and other nearby cities. Iranian sources, citing available documents, estimated the MEK’s losses to be even higher – exceeding 2,500. Operation Eternal Light, a gamble that backfired spectacularly, marked the end of the MEK’s military ambitions.

References

1- Samad Nazari, The Devil’s Footprint, Nejat Association Publications, Tehran, 2011, p. 152
2- Reza Bastani, The Role of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization in the Iran-Iraq War, Negin Quarterly, No. 3, Winter 2002
3- Sabbar Fallah Al-Lami, Occupation and Medal, translated by Mohammad Nabi Ebrahimi, Tehran: Soroeh Mehr Publications, 2007, p. 22

July 31, 2024 0 comments

Iran

Victims’ families ask for full investigation of MEK crimes

Families of Iranian citizens who lost their lives during terror group’s attacks in the 1980s have called on Iran’s Judiciary to fully investigate the entity’s crimes and make a just and accurate ruling.

Victims’ families stated their demand prior to the first public hearing on the Mujahedin-e-Khalq’s terror organization’s crimes in the Iranian capital of Tehran. The trial reportedly addresses the conduct of group’s main ring leaders.

“Unfortunately, the MKO has not been tried in any domestic or international court so far, and have never been held accountable for their lifetime of inhumanity, betrayal, and crimes. Instead, they freely move around in European countries (the self-proclaimed supporters of human rights) and are even based in many of them,” the families said in a joint statement.

The MKO has conducted numerous terrorist attacks against Iranian civilians and government officials following the Islamic Revolution’s triumph in 1979. Within the past four decades, close to 17,000 Iranians have been killed in terrorist incidents, with around 12,000 falling victim to the MKO’s brutal acts of terror, which tragically also targeted innocent women and children.

Notably, the European Union, Canada, the United States, and Japan had previously designated the MKO as a “terrorist organization.”

In 2012, the group was delisted from the U.S. roster of terrorist organizations, signifying Washington’s decision to engage with the notorious terrorist group in efforts aimed at undermining the Islamic Republic of Iran. Subsequently, the EU also removed the organization from its list of terrorist entities.

The group, however, has come under growing pressure in the past year, with Western countries deeming it dangerous for their own security as well.

The MKO, which was initially based in Iraq after fleeing Iran, had its headquarters raided by Albanian Police in June. Albanian authorities, who had been hosting the group under a US-brokered deal since 2016, accused the entity of “terror and cyber-attacks” against foreign institutions. They also imposed entry bans against MKO’s main ringleader, Maryam Rajavi.

The terror organization is now reportedly looking to relocate by transferring its members to Canada and Germany.

January 27, 2024 0 comments

Iran

Iran begins trial of MEK members

TEHRAN – The first court hearing for the trial of 104 members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) took place on Tuesday with five lawyers representing the accused.

Held at the 11th Branch of the Criminal Court of Tehran Province, the trial of MEK members was chaired by Judge Dehghani, and court advisors were Morteza Tork and Amin Naseri.

The judge stated that the court oversees a case received from Tehran’s General and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office. The case involves the indictment of the terrorist group known as the Mojahedin Khalq, as well as 104 individuals from the group’s central cadre and its main agents.

After studying the indictment and following the principles of criminal procedure, including articles 7, 296, and 382 of the law, the 11th Branch of the Criminal Court of the Tehran Province has declared its jurisdiction to deal with the charges. This decision was made under the procedural law and the Islamic Penal Code, and it is equivalent to judicial notices, according to the judge.

Judge Dehghani stated that following the legal charges, the court conducted a comprehensive investigation into the case. A detailed report has been prepared, and per Article 389 of the Criminal Procedure Law and Article 391 of this law, the head of the branch responsible for investigating the case has acknowledged that the investigation is complete and ready for trial. As a result, an order has been immediately issued to determine the hearing time.

MEK in a glance

After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the Marxist cult and terrorist group, which claimed it had played a major role in the victory of the Islamic Revolution, launched a campaign of terror against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Finally, in 1981 the MEK operatives took up arms and carried out large-scale terrorist operations, assassinating more than 17,000 Iranians. The most important of these actions were the bombings of the Office of the Prime Minister and the Office of the Islamic Republic of Iran Party. The president, prime minister, and head of the Supreme Court were brutally killed in the bombings.

When the MEK escaped from Iran, they went to Iraq and collaborated with Saddam Hussein in his war against Iran in the 1980s. They took up arms against their own country and participated in two operations against the Islamic Republic.

After Iran and Iraq accepted a ceasefire, the NLA (National Liberation Army), MEK’s military branch, with financial and logistical support from Saddam Hussein attacked Iran with the hallucination of conquering Tehran in a few days. As soon as they set foot on Iranian soil, they committed heinous actions such as setting people on fire and hanging them.

The terrorist organization considered itself an alternative to the Islamic Republic of Iran and was doing its best to attack the Iranian people and government in any way possible.

After about 25 years of presence in Iraq, the MEK was expelled at the end of Saddam Hussein’s rule and settled in Albania with the financial support of some Arab countries and the direct support of the Americans.

The MEK was trying to rebuild and portray its new face from a terrorist face to a democratic one by taking measures such as holding political and annual gatherings. To achieve its vicious goals, the MEK kept inviting famous and controversial political figures to its summits.

Yet, the report issued by Human Rights Watch in May 2005, once again revealed the inhumane nature of the terrorist group. The report was issued on alleged human rights abuses committed by MEK.

In 2016, the United States brokered a deal to relocate the MEK to Albania. About 3,000 members moved to Albania, and the U.S. donated $20 million to the U.N. refugee agency to help them resettle.

On 9 September 2016, more than 280 remaining MEK members were relocated to Albania, where they have been protested by the locals.

On June 20th, 2023, the Albanian police launched an operation at the MEK camp in Manez, Durres, on the orders of the Albanian judiciary due to the “violation of agreement and commitments.”

The conflict between police and the MEK left one dead and 36 other camp residents injured.

The state police said that the police didn’t use any deathly means.

The MEK ringleaders have reportedly decided to relocate their base to Canada following the Albanian government’s intense pressures and after the failure of their negotiations with the Paris government over relocation to France.

An informed security source told Tasnim that the MEK terrorists have come up with the relocation plan after the government of Albania and its counter-terrorism court imposed restrictions on the terrorist group following the discovery of incriminating evidence from their Ashraf-3 camp near Manez, a small hill town 30 kilometers west of Albania’s capital Tirana.

“The MEK heads are making preparations for the gradual pullout of their members (from Albania),” the source said.

The source noted that the MEK terrorists have failed to obtain France’s consent for the relocation of a number of their elements to a camp in Auvers-sur-Oise on the northwestern outskirts of Paris.

By Alireza Akbari

December 13, 2023 0 comments

Europe

MEK misled members of European Parliament

A report by the European Parliament has said that the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) terrorist organization has committed many non-transparent actions in dealing with the members of the European Parliament.

“Iran’s Mujahideen, an organization Human Rights Watch has accused of intimidating, torturing and sometimes murdering members of the Iranian diaspora, has been using aggressive and shady practices to meet MEPs, including by hiding their real affiliation,” said the report.

It added, “MEPs have been included by this organization as co-signatories of letters they had not co-signed or named as co-hosts of conferences they never endorsed.”

The report further said, “they were registered using over 45 different pseudonyms, such as ‘MEK’, ‘NCRI’, ‘ISJ’, ‘APA’, in order to mislead MEPs and the Transparency Register.”

The MEK group adheres to extremely opaque guidelines in their internal interactions, something that led many observers to liken the group to a cult.

The group has run into troubles with the Albanian government due to the non-transparent actions of its members which included hacks and other illegal activities.

The Albanian government has recently blocked the access of the MKO members to the Internet in their camp near Tirana.

The Albanian government has turned off Internet access at the Ashraf-3 camp outside Manze, a small hill hamlet 30 kilometers west of Tirana.

It is the latest restrictive measure by the Albanian government in the face of MKO cyberattacks.

According to an informed security source, the notorious cultish members have been compelled to use mobile Internet or illicit techniques for cyber operations since Albania is firm to keep a lid on the terrorist activities of the group also called MEK.

As a result of the MKO’s involvement in “terror and cyber-attacks” against international institutions, the Albanian police forces conducted a raid on the camp in June.

They seized 150 computer devices used for sabotage attacks.

During the clashes at the camp, at least one MKO terrorist was killed and several more were injured.

On August 12, Kazem Gharibabadi, secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights, said Tehran had filed a huge case against more than 100 members of the cultish organization, which has killed tens of thousands of Iranians.

September 12, 2023 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

The double face of the MEK: between a moderate opposition party and a terrorist organization

While presenting itself as a moderate opposition force in the eyes of Western public opinion, the MEK continues to perpetrate terrorist actions in Iran for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic, as evidenced by their own official website, where the attacks are described as heroic acts.

In one of our previous articles, we summarized the history of the Mojahedin-e-Khalq, a political organization whose declared aim is the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran, known by the acronym of MEK or PMOI (from the English People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran). As we underlined in that article, in 1997, the United States included the MEK in the list of terrorist organizations, due to their modus operandi which actually closely resembled that of a terrorist organization that uses attacks to achieve its goals.

However, in 2012, the United States decided to start using the organization for its own purposes of destabilizing the Islamic Republic of Iran and, taking advantage of the military occupation of Iraq, a country where many MEK militants were located, entered into tacit agreements with them. Just in September 2012, Washington officially eliminated the name of the MEK from the list of terrorist organizations, with the same leadership of the organization officially acknowledging its past mistakes, declaring that it would later act solely as a political force in opposition to the Republic Islamic, renouncing the path of attacks.

This operation has had highly positive implications both for the United States and for the MEK itself. The Washington government, in fact, was able to support Mojahedin-e-Khalq openly in an anti-Iranian function, without having to worry too much about public opinion, indeed there are not a few exponents of the most recent administrations who have expressed their support in favour of the MEK in public occasions. For its part, the organization has cleaned up its image internationally, presenting itself as a legitimate force of moderate opposition to the Iranian government.

The MEK has tried in every possible way to attract the support of Western progressive political groups, which do not look kindly on a government like that of the Islamic Republic of Iran, by relying on media propaganda that exploits the pretext of human rights and the condition of women to stir up anti-Iranian sentiment in public opinion. For this reason, the official political program of the MEK presents points such as the establishment of a democratic republic, religious freedom, gender equality in every sphere of society, the legalization of alcoholic beverages, freedom of speech, association and expression, the right to choose whether or not to wear hijab, all arguments that can find general agreement among Western public opinion. Furthermore, the MEK is also proposing a close alliance of Iran with Western countries and the recognition of the State of Israel, which according to many sources, would support the organization militarily.

This facade of image-cleansing, however, hides a much darker reality, one that sees the MEK continue to carry out terrorist operations in Iran, causing serious damage and casualties both military and civilians in order to achieve its political goals. This dark face of the MEK is clearly kept silent in front of the Western public, to the point that the official website of the organization ( news.mojahedin.org ) does not report news about the terrorist attacks, except in its own version in the Persian language . While in the foreign language versions the MEK presents itself as an opposition political party with a moderate outlook, in Persian all this turns into an extremist raving.

In the Persian language version, the term “insurrection centres” (in Persian: Kanounhaye Shoureshi) frequently appears, which are nothing more than terrorist cells operating in Iran carrying out attacks in public places. These operations, which continuously affect the Iranian military and civilian population, are described as acts of heroism by MEK militants, but are then kept silent in front of the Western public, which certainly could not accept the support of their governments towards a terrorist group who brags about their bomb attacks.

For example, in July of this year the MEK carried out 23 terrorist operations to celebrate 35 years of what the organization calls Operation Forough Javidan (or “Eternal Light”), an attempted invasion of Iranian Kurdistan in course of war events between Iran and Iraq. On that operation, the MEK was defeated, suffering numerous losses, which in the language of the organization are called martyrs. As part of this wave of terrorist attacks, the MEK boasts, for example, of blowing up the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps barracks in Ravansar, the headquarters of the national news agency IRNA in Qazvin and numerous other public buildings across the country, as well as setting fire to images of Iranian revolutionary leaders.

Analysing the MEK website in Persian, there are really numerous episodes of this type that can be found in the year 2023 alone (year 1402 of the Persian calendar). Terrorist attacks are often organized on the occasion of anniversaries considered important in the history of the MEK, such as the aforementioned Operation Forough Javidan, or the establishment of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, an organization and political coalition founded on July 20, 1981 and strictly linked to the MEK. Also, on the occasion of this anniversary, in fact, there were terrorist attacks against the garrisons of the Revolution Guards and other episodes of violence throughout the country.

Browsing the official website of the MEK, it can also be seen that these terrorist attacks are not isolated episodes, as there are several of them every month, and they affect every area of ??the country. The main targets of these operations are headquarters of the Revolution Guards and other armed forces or of the Judiciary, and are described in pompous tones in an attempt to glorify the work of the terrorists, adorned with the title of “heroes”, all accompanied by celebratory videos disseminated through the organization’s Telegram channel. An image therefore very different from the one that is sold to Western public opinion, and of which we want to spread awareness through this article, so that don’t fall into the trap of supporting a terrorist organization like the MEK just yet.

By Giulio Chinappi

August 9, 2023 0 comments

Former members of the MEK

The evil “Hydra” Rajavi vs Albanian NGO ASILA

From Spring 2013 till late 2016 the Rajavi Cult was transferred from Baghdad to Albania. They set up shops in Albania thanks to an opaque agreement between Albanian government and UNHCR.

The agreement was backed politically and financially by the then American administration. The Cult was transferred from the outskirts of Tirana, the Albanian capital, to a gated compound named Ashraf 3 Camp at Manez, a township part of Durres municipality. Ashraf Camp is situated at a quite strategic location in equidistance from Tirana, the capital city. Durres is the main port and the second biggest city of Albania and Rinas Airport was the only civilian airport in Albania up to a couple of years ago.

The Rajavi Cult gradually became a security concern and a public order headache to Albania, the host country. Unfortunately, the Rama government had to yield to almost any whimsical demand of the Cult. Albania, a NATO member and European country candidate for EU membership, had to connive at gross violations of human rights committed beyond the chicken wire mash surrounding Ashraf camp. As an Albanian, a journalist, citizen I was ashamed of the Albanian government and its approach towards the Rajavi Cult. The bootlicker government said yes to almost every Rajavi Cult decision and practice such as: marriage is “haram”, having kids “haram”, family “haram”, talking to family members (let alone meeting them) “haram”, slave like unpaid work by elderly and frail health members “halal”, murder of Cult members disguised as swimming accident “halal”, murder of an Albanian citizen disguised as work accident “halal”, harassment of dissidents of the Cult “halal”, engagement in terror activities against a sovereign nation “halal”, etc.

NGO ASILA

In October 2021 the dissidents of the Rajavi Cult in Albania and some Albanian friends of them supported an initiative by Hassan Heyrani to establish and duly register at the respective Albanian institutions an NGO named ASILA (Association for the Support of Iranians in Albania). Our NGO immediately became an eyesore to the Rajavi Cult. The dissidents of this Cult and their Albanian friends were a constant target of a slander campaign by Rajavi and her well-paid friends among current and former foreign politicians.

ASILA under the firm hand of its CEO Mersuli struggled on and enlarged its activity to the benefit of its Iranian members, but also serving as a beacon of hope and an image of freedom for the poor and downtrodden inmates of Ashraf 3 Camp at Manez. A number of people defected sometimes even in uncanny ways from the Cult. Freedom for such a Cult is as harmful and deadly as sunlight to a vampire. The existence and the example of a normal life beyond Ashraf 3 was deadly to the Cult, i.e. the Cult and its foreign overlords exerted pressure on the Albanian government to dismantle ASILA or at least to neutralize it. From July 2021 every trick in the book was tried against ASILA. A search warrant for premises of NGO ASILA as well as the homes and cars of a dozen Iranian members of ASILA was signed by a judge in Tirana. These Iranian dissidents were questioned for several hours by the “Tonton Macoutes” of the Counter Terrorism directorate of the Albanian State Police. The net result was nil. Police seized no drugs, weapons, explosives, stolen goods, forged papers, etc. The whole operation turned out to be a typical “too much ado for nothing.”

MEK returned to its old ways of violently attacking a book fair in Durres (a book fair supported by the Ministry of Culture and Durres Council) only because ASILA had its modest stall in the book fair. As always, the Rajavi Cult is allergic to books! Representatives of ASILA lodged an official complaint with Durres police and duly sued the Cult members and commanders who attacked the book fair. Unfortunately, perpetrators of such a crime were released within 12 hours after being held in police custody.

By autumn 2022 the activity of ASILA and the flow of defections of inmates from Ashraf 3 Camp increased. Even an insipid and highly unprofessional but official report published by Microsoft slandering the CEO and the Secretary General of ASILA failed to deter ASILA and its members.

Rajavi and her criminal Cult were engulfed in an existential crisis not only by the activity of ASILA but also because of the utter failure of their main and old propaganda tool of regime change in Iran. Deus ex Machina, the quisling segments of the Albanian Police at the service of the Rajavi Cult, infringing Albanian Law locked in the Karreci facility (a closed camp for illegal migrants) six members of ASILA , namely:

Hassan Heyrani, engaged to an Albanian lady; Ali Hajari (father of an Albanian-Iranian daughter); Mehdi Suleimani, engaged to an Albanian lady; Gholamreza Shekari married (religious marriage) to an Albanian lady; Hassan Shahbaz; and Ehsan Bidi. None of them are illegal migrants in Albanian. They came to my country, says the Albanian journalist, as a result of a signed agreement between UNHCR and the Albanian government. All of them enjoy the status of “protected person” according to Annex IV of the Geneva Convention. After a series of written complaints, protests and appeals by ASILA, by their Albanian loved ones and by a lawyer hired by ASILA, a high-ranking Albanian police officer answered in written form that these ASILA members were locked in the Karreci facility due to national security concerns. Such an answer reminded me of the dark days of communism when Albanians were locked in prison for up to 8 years on charges of Agitation and propaganda against the people-s power!!!! A combination of ASILA action, a media campaign and hunger strikes by the inmates forced Albanian police in spite of the Rajavi Cult’s insistence to release Heyrani, the deputy head of ASILA. Yet he was issued with deportation order!

Today

The Albanian government and Premier Rama, behaving like a tin pot dictator at the service of a bloodstained ex-terrorist called The “Hydra” of Manez aka Miriam Rajavi, have scored a lot of “victories” against ASILA .

Namely:

Hassan Heyrani, the deputy head of ASILA, after being deported from Albania, lives in Greece equipped with regular residence papers.

Hassan Heyrani, the deputy head of ASILA

Ehsan Bidi was forcefully sent from the Karreci facility to Tehran Airport through Sabiha Gogcem Airport of Istanbul.

Gholamreza Shekari was released from Karreci facility but was issued with a deportation order. The Rajavi Cult informed Greek police of Mr. Shekari crossing illegally to Greece. He was detained by Greek police. They ruffed him up and kept him in a barbed wire camp for “special” illegal migrants near Gumenica town. Then they expelled him back to Albania. Police locked him up in the Karreci facility and issued a deportation order (30 days limit; point of exit from Albanian territory: Rinas International Airport).

Ali Hajari is still locked in the detention facility. His Albanian lady gave birth to Ali’s daughter while Ali was still locked in the Karreci facility. This act of cruelty was a courtesy of the Rajavi Cult in collusion with quisling segments of Albanian police and politics.

Mehdi Suleimani is still locked in the Karreci facility.

Edona Hunda, an ASILA member and the fiancé of Mr. Suleimani, was targeted by quisling segments of the Albanian police allegedly of being suspected of drug trafficking. Thanks to their shoddy work and extremely unprofessional behavior they left digital footprints of their active collusion with the Rajavi Cult. Proactive questioning methods applied by some policemen failed with the strong-willed lady. She was released in less than 12 hours and the trumped-up charges of drug trafficking went down the drain.

Hassan Shabaz is still locked in the Karreci facility

Moussa Jaberifar was locked in jail in Durres on trumped-up charges of drug trafficking. The judge ordered his release after a couple of months in prison as the “narcotics” trafficked by him resulted to be normal medical drugs bought at a normal chemist’s shop in the outskirts of Tirana. There are still persistent efforts of the Rajavi Cult in collusion with Albanian citizens to return Mr. Jaberifar to prison as he is still technically a defendant in such a “drug case”.

Mahmoud G. Deghan and Malek Bitmashal became victims of well-hatched ingenious plot. An ex-MEK member declared allegedly several ASILA members were in contact with Iranian secret service and even pretended to receive money from such services. The two above mentioned gentlemen though completely innocent got scared because of such baseless allegations and decided to leave Albanian illegally to save themselves of false charges leveled by quisling segments of the Albanian police.

Each of them bought a forged Italian passport and tried to leave Albania for Brindisi in Italy via the Albanian Port of Vlore. Strange enough they bought these passports from an old contact of the Rajavi Cult, the same person who equipped with a forged EU country passport another defector of the Rajavi Cult a couple of years ago. The police in Vlora detained both of them and now the poor fellows are indicted under “possession of forged identification documents” charges, Article 166 of Albanian Criminal Code. If found guilty by a court of law they face 6 months to 3 years jail sentence!

Mohammad Reza, who seems to be the ASILA member, is next target of the Rajavi Cult. Albanian matchmakers are trying hard to engage him to an Albanian woman who was the lover and who also pressed trumped-up charges and sued Bijan Pooladrag, an Iranian defector of the Rajavi Cult. Unfortunately, Mr. Pooladrag received a ten-year sentence on false charges of terrorism by a court in Tirana. It is highly possible and probable that such a woman of liberal behavior will set a similar trap (trumped-up charges and a long stint in prison) for Mohammad Reza, too.

In conclusion, there are 11 members of ASILA association in forced exile, in prison, in the Karreci facility, under court investigation pending a possible prison sentence. All of them without charge or on trumped-up charges! ASILA only has a modest 33 members, so 11 members in trouble means that the Rajavi Cult has managed to neutralize or semi-neutralize one third of the members. Yet ASILA is not dead or moribund.
ASILA is fighting hard and resisting!

By Mohammad Pouladvand

June 19, 2023 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq; A proxy force

Albania teams up with Israel and U.S. against Iran: Foreign Policy

TEHRAN – Harun Karcic, a journalist and political analyst covering the Balkans, says Albanian is aligning with Israel and the United States against Iran.

Following is a major part of his article published in Foreign Policy:

Late last month, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama paid a high-profile three-day visit to Israel, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, President Isaac Herzog, Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy, Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and the head of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, Gaby Portnoy. Both sides discussed enhancing security cooperation, particularly in the cybersphere, and organizing a summit of Balkan leaders in Israel next year.

Rama’s visit to Israel came after Albania claimed Iran was behind a series of cyberattacks in July and September that temporarily shut down numerous online Albanian government services and websites. Rama also expelled Iranian diplomats from the country.

Edi Rama visited the head of Israel’s National Cyber Directorate, Gaby Portnoy

Washington also backed Tirana’s decision to cut ties with Tehran and sanctioned Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence for its alleged role in the cyberattacks. Tehran rejected the charges that it was behind the cyberattacks and accused Albania of complicity in an American-Israeli campaign against Iran.

In fact, Iran and Albania have been at odds for years, ever since the Balkan state began hosting—at the request of the United States—members of the exiled Iranian terrorist group People’s Mujahideen of Iran, or Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK), on its soil. The group has had a presence in Albania since at least 2013.

The U.S. continues to train the secretive, cult-like MEK in Albania against Iran.

Morphing into a secretive, cult-like group, the MEK lived in exile under former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s patronage starting in the 1980s and was designated as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” by the United States, European Union, Canada, Japan, and Great Britain because of its alleged killings of U.S. nationals.

The United States removed the MEK from the terrorist list in 2003 following the U.S. invasion of Iraq and planned at the time to use the MEK in a potential overthrow of the Iranian government (a plan most recently voiced by former U.S. national security advisor John Bolton in 2018). However, such a plan never came to fruition. Hussein’s toppling and the ensuing chaos in Iraq required the group to find a new sanctuary, and the United States urged Albania to host MEK members.

Currently, about 3,000 MEK members are estimated to live in Albania’s Camp Ashraf-3, a heavily fortified compound protected by Albanian private security.

Since 2013, the MEK has regularly hosted events and summits in Albania that have attracted conservative U.S. Republicans, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former Vice President Mike Pence, the latter of whom delivered a keynote address at an event in Albania in June. Even today, many Republicans and congressional aides view the MEK as an important voice calling for regime change in Iran. Albanian media outlets have also reported on contacts between the Israeli embassy in Tirana and representatives of the MEK. Most recently, in October, the Israeli ambassador to Albania, Galit Peleg, apparently met with MEK leader Maryam Rajavi during the former’s trip to southern Albania.

These contacts have been closely followed in Tehran.

For obvious reasons, Iran is not thrilled with Albania for hosting the MEK, though Tehran tends to put most of the blame on the United States. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani criticized the United States for “forcing” the Albanian government to host the MEK and for “training and equipping them in cyber technology.” The group, he said, has “constantly served and still serves as a tool in the hands of U.S. to carry out acts of terror, cyberattacks, and wage psychosocial war against the Iranian government and nation.”

The idea to host MEK was not an Albanian initiative but rather a U.S.-Israeli agreement.

This raises the question of why Albania would willingly drag itself into one of the world’s most tense geopolitical standoffs, involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, by agreeing to host such a controversial group. A number of Albanian analysts have told me that the idea was not an Albanian initiative but rather a U.S.-Israeli agreement. To paraphrase my favorite line from the 1997 film Wag the Dog: ‘‘Why Albania? … Why not?’’ And the Albanian government, eager to showcase its pro-Western credentials, went along with it.

A former communist dictatorship that broke off ties with both the Soviet Union and Mao Zedong’s China to tread its own path, Albania is now yet another NATO member in a region surrounded by NATO member states. Eager to stand out as a steadfast U.S. ally, it often entangles itself in complex geopolitical issues far from its shores—from being the only country to accept Uyghurs from the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay who were cleared of terrorist charges, to accepting nearly 4,000 Afghans (mostly translators and support staff of the U.S. military), to hosting the MEK—a foreign-policy approach considered fruitful by major political forces in Albania.

Albanian analysts have told me that this way, Albania hopes to strengthen its role in the region and its diplomatic relations with the United States and Israel. Back in 2011, then-Prime Minister Sali Berisha declared Iran “a Nazi state” and backed Israel at the United Nations against the Palestinian bid for statehood. Then, much like today, the idea of gaining access to the United States via Israel was certainly on Rama’s mind.

For its part, Israel’s approach to the Balkans can be framed as a classic securitization policy: securing the regime beyond its borders by military and intelligence cooperation, political deals, and intelligence sharing. Israel has gradually and discreetly formed partnerships with Balkan countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, and Serbia. Israeli investments, both private and government-linked, in Greece and Serbia have been increasing, as have the number of Israeli tourists visiting the region, including Israeli Arabs visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Indeed, Israeli sources confirmed to me that the person organizing Rama’s recent Israel visit was Alexander Machkevitch, a billionaire businessman and the chairman of Eurasian Resources Group, one of the largest global producers of essential metals and minerals, employing some 80,000 people. Machkevitch is also an Israeli citizen and a good friend of Rama’s.

Over the past few years, Israel has also emerged as one of the main diplomatic backers of Bosnia’s highly autonomous Republika Srpska, where Lieberman has cultivated a close working relationship with the pro-Russian Bosnian Serb hard-liner Milorad Dodik. Israel has also been nurturing military and diplomatic ties with Greece, Croatia, and Macedonia. On a more diplomatic level, it has engaged Balkan states through the Craiova State Forum, which brings together heads of government from Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece, and focuses on improving infrastructure and energy cooperation.

Having a diplomatic presence in the Balkans is tempting for Israel. Nested between the Black Sea and the Adriatic, its geography places it at the crossroads between trade routes. Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece all have maritime access to North Africa and the Middle East; Hungary and Serbia connect the Balkan Peninsula with Central Europe; and Romania and Bulgaria have access to the Black Sea. Turkey’s booming exports destined for the European Union all pass through the Balkans, the shortest and most economical route. Just recently, Israeli company Elbit Systems opened a flight school in the southern city of Kalamata that will train Greek pilots in combat missions.

Israel is not the only Middle Eastern player making overtures in the Balkans: Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia have made forays in the past, in addition to China and Russia. Security experts in the region have told me that Israel is trying to carve a place for itself in a region that is seen as the new chessboard in a great power competition.

Looking from a broader perspective, the Balkans fall into Israel’s “periphery doctrine”—its strategy of outflanking Arab neighbors deemed hostile by enhancing its security and economic ties with non-Arab Muslim states including in the Balkans, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. This was a starting point in Israel’s decades-long relationships with Turkey and Azerbaijan.

The Balkans are clearly emerging as a distinct region in which Israel wants to play a leading role. It is establishing itself as a leader in tech innovation, the defense sector, and cybersecurity. So far, Israel has managed to forge a system of bilateral working relationships with Serbia, Albania, Croatia, and Kosovo.

In the case of Albania, all three sides win: Albania gets Israel’s support in terms of intelligence and showcases its loyalty to Washington; Israel forges closer ties with yet another non-Arab Muslim-majority country on its periphery; and the United States continues training a group in Albania that politically and militarily opposes its archnemesis—a card that can be pulled out should circumstances call for it.

November 12, 2022 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

The MEK should be blacklisted again

“The main reason for de-listing the MEK from British, EU & U.S. terrorist lists (FTO) was the organization’s public claim – and subsequent legal guarantee – that they had renounced violence since 2001 and would continue to do so,” Reza Nasri, an international lawyer and legal expert, wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

However, a minor explosion in a southeastern Tehran in the Malek Ashtar Basij headquarters on Saturday night, resulted in minor infrastructure damage. In a statement, the MKO claimed responsibility for the explosion.

In their statement issued on the same night, the terrorist group claimed the attack was carried out by “revolutionary cells”.

Reza Nasri

“In light of this recent development, the UK, EU and U.S. – along with Canada – should seriously consider revising their past decision and designate MEK again as a terrorist organization,” Nasri continued in his thread of tweets.

According to the legal expert, aside from doing justice to the thousands of Iranian, Iraqi and Kurdish victims that were killed or maimed by this brutal cult over the years, designating MEK again would be viewed as a good-faith gesture that will have a positive impact on the ongoing JCPOA negotiations.

“This is the Western countries’ opportunity to show good-faith, break the negotiations’ deadlock and set the ground for a sustainable and long-term cooperation with Iran. Don’t miss it!” Nasri noted, advising the Americans.

July 5, 2022 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq; A proxy force

Gathering together with terrorists to advocate freedom?!

In the latest sign of Western double standards in dealing with the issue of terrorism, a slate of former and current Western officials participated in a gathering held by a widely detested Iranian opposition group that is known for its role in carrying out thousands of targeted assassinations inside Iran in the 1980s.

The group, Mojahedin-e-Khalq, also known by its initials MEK or MKO, began its annual three-day conference online on Saturday with several former and current American and European officials delivering paid speeches via videoconference. The officials mostly launched into worn-out tirades about Iran’s internal and foreign policy.

About 30 members of U.S. Congress are expected to participate in this year’s conference of MEK, including Senator Bob Menendez, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Senator Ted Cruz, and Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, as well as former ministers and officials from Europe, the United States and Canada.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa also delivered a speech at the conference, drawing harsh criticism from Iran and promoting the Iranian Foreign Ministry to summons the Slovenian ambassador to Tehran.

In a statement on Sunday, the ministry called Jansa’s move “unacceptable and undiplomatic.”

“After the presence of Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa in the virtual meeting of Mojahedin-e-Khalq terrorist grouping, the Iranian foreign minister’s assistant and director general of the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe department of the Foreign Ministry summoned Slovenia’s ambassador to Tehran Ms. Christina Radi and after conveying Iran’s strong protest against this move and the baseless accusations leveled against the Islamic Republic of Iran, gave her Iran’s official notice of protest against the government of Slovenia,” the ministry said in a statement.

“During the meeting, it was emphasized that Iran condemns the virtual presence of Slovenia’s premier in the gathering of a terrorist group, loathed among the great Iranian nation, as well as the official’s false and nonsensical remarks, which run counter to diplomatic norms and the atmosphere of bilateral relations,” the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, noting, “This is besides the fact that supporting a terrorist grouping violates the UN charter, recognized international principles and human rights values and is, under no pretext, acceptable.”

The Western officials’ participation in the MKO conference reflects a deeply flawed understanding of Iran on the part of the West. Every year, dozens of these officials flocked to Paris to deliver furious speeches to the cheers of a mostly hired audience. They kept participating, though virtually, in the MEK gatherings even during the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, most of these officials do so for the sake of money. At the end of the day, MEK offers irresistible lump sums for short appearances and thus one can make a quick buck within a few minutes by reading an already prepared text or regurgitating what had been said by others all the time.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh pointed to this issue in a tweet on Saturday, saying, “Bought western politicians (incl #LyingCheatingStealing Pompeo) sell themselves cheap for a Europe-hosted circus arranged by a once Saddam-backed terrorist cult with Iranian blood on its hands. Insatiable thirst for $$ & anti-Iran obsession is driving shameful western hypocrisy.”

But some participants appear in MEK gatherings with different goals. It is difficult to imagine that some influential former and current officials show up at these gatherings simply to make money. For Example, former Saudi spy chief Turki al-Faisal is by no means in need of the money of a group facing growing accusations of being on the Saudi payroll.

This type of officials often sees MEK as their last hope of bringing about fundamental political change in Iran while falsely believing that the group is capable of bringing down the Iranian government. But this is wishful thinking simply because MEK has no constituency in Iran and its propaganda of being “the most organized Iranian opposition group” rests only on its ability to pay off hapless refugees and adventurous college students to fill in for real Iranians.

The lack of popularity among ordinary Iranians begs the question of why MEK has been confined to the dustbin of history in Iran. MEK’s unpopularity among the Iranians stems from two things: First, the group had been implicated in many terrorist attacks and assassinations in Iran in the 1980s. Second, while the group was going on a killing spree in Iran its leaders colluded with Iran’s number one nemesis, Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq who gave them many military bases near Baghdad. With the military support of Saddam, MEK mounted a devastating military attack on Iran that led to its forever eradication in the country. Iranians have never forgotten, nor have they forgiven, this act of treason by MEK.

This may explain why the Iranian people feel offended when they see Western officials advocate for “freedom” in Iran to be achieved by a group having the blood of thousands of Iranians on its hands. The main reason why Iran usually accuses the West of sponsoring terrorism is their continued, brazen support for MEK, which has been on the blacklist of the U.S. and the European Union until recently.

Iran has always complained that the West supported terrorism. And Western participation in MEK “circus” gives Iran all the more reason to repeat this complaint. For Iran, the Western support of terrorism represented by MEK is not an exception. Instead, it’s a tradition deeply rooted in Western hypocrisy and is a habit the West finds difficult to kick.

July 13, 2021 0 comments

Iran

“Ambushing a Rose” published in eight languages

Eight translations of “Ambushing a Rose”, a biography of Lieutenant-General Ali Sayyad Shirazi who served as commander of Ground Forces during the Iran–Iraq war, have recently been published.

The collection was unveiled on Monday at the Sacred Defense Museum during a special ceremony organized to celebrate the liberation anniversary of Khorramshahr.

Written in Persian by Mohsen Momeni-Sharif, “Ambushing a Rose”, also known as “Waiting for the Red Rose”, has been translated into English, French, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Urdu, Azerbaijani and Turkish by the Army’s War Archives.

Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, the commander of the Army, Brigadier General Nasser Arasteh, the director of the Army’s War Archives, several military attachés and some cultural figures attended the ceremony.

Army commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi (2nd L) and War Archives director Brigadier General Nasser Arasteh (3rd R) unveil eight translations of the Martyr Ali Sayyad Shirazi’s biography “Ambushing a Rose” at the Sacred Defense Museum in Tehran on May 24, 2021. (ISNA/Mohammad-Ali Asadi)

“Talking about the big victories during the war brings the name of Sayyad Shirazi to our minds, and his name also brings back the sweet memories of the big victories,” Mousavi said in his brief speech made at the ceremony.

For his part, Arasteh said, “All chapters of Martyr Sayyad cannot be covered in a single book. Many books should be written to cover various aspects of his life.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, wrote a commendation for “Ambushing a Rose”, which was originally published by Sureh-Mehr, a major publishing house affiliated with the Art Bureau of the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization.

“This is an exceptionally interesting example of a report on the war while it is a sweet story of one of its characters,” the Leader wrote in the recommendation published in April 2019.

“I read the entire book thoroughly; it has been written beautifully and artistically. I am quite familiar with many of the incidents described,” he added.

“Of course, many other events of that era and many other words about this dear martyr remain untold. And this is natural, because the prominence of martyr Sayyad Shirazi cannot be showcased in a single book. He was truly an example of a brave and devoted army officer. God bless his soul,” he stated.

Sayyad Shirazi was assassinated on April 10, 1999, outside his house while on his way to work by the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) while serving as the deputy chief of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff, the second-highest military office in Iran. The MKO said the act was in revenge for Operation Mersad.

He had led a counter-offensive called Operation Mersad against the MKO militants, who, with the help of Saddam Hussein, launched an attack in the summer of 1988 to capture the western Iranian city of Kermanshah.

May 27, 2021 0 comments

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