Articles

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

The MEK crimes in Iraq, now repeating in Albania

A reliable and knowledgeable source from Albania, who wished to remain anonymous, sent the following:

Rajavi’s organization in Albania is trying hard to repeat the scenario of its old exhibition in Iraq during the time of Saddam Hussein, now in Albania.
Maryam Rajavi is recruiting corrupt elements in the Albania police and in secret service to fight against ASILA members.
At that time in Iraq, any fugitive from the MEK was imprisoned in the dreaded Abu Ghraib prison, or even worse, killed and buried somewhere in the deserts of Iraq in a remote grave.

Fortunately, in our country Albania, Rajavi needs much more effort and money to neutralize the members of ASILA.
Rajavi’s organization in Albania is trying to file a legal case against some members of ASILA, accepting huge expenses. It has even been strongly demanded that these Iranians who did not want to continue with Maryam Rajavi be charged with charges ranging from espionage to terrorist acts.
Until now, these corrupt elements in our police and anti-terrorism department have resisted Maryam Rajavi’s continuous demands towards the Albanians (Olsi Jazexhi, Gjergji Thanasi, and lawyers and journalists, etc.) These people are afraid of their reactions.

Such elements of the police and secret services, receiving huge amounts of bribes, try hard to file court cases against ASILA members on charges such as unauthorized public gatherings, spreading false news that causes panic among people, resisting police officers, etc. They are trying to persecute the quasi-official ASILA members and their supporters in every possible way.

So far, they have failed twice in their actions and their proposed cases have not been accepted by the judicial system. They try to intimidate ASILA members and supporters of this society or send them to court with false accusations, but they have not succeeded.

During this period, the manufactured cases have not been accepted by the Albanian judicial system for legal prosecution, but they do not stop trying to persecute. The amount of money Rajavi’s organization spends in this regard is really amazing.
You know that the judiciary in Albania is independent and their actions have already failed twice, but Rajavi’s organization continues to try and spend money.

I know that the corrupt elements in our Albanian police and security system are surprised why Rajavi’s organization is willing to spend so much money and time to harass those who no longer want to be with them.

January 16, 2023 0 comment

Media

Five Iranian citizens kept in isolation in the Camp Karreç

5 Iranian citizens are kept in isolation in the Camp known as Karreç, a state high security institution.
Association Asila which comes to Albania with its mission of producing cultural activities and supporting the Iranian community in Albania.

Asila has continued with its cultural activities and book fairs, but there has been a lack of commitment and interest in these members who are far from their families in Asila. Mr. Dashamir Mersuli, recently in a conference for the media and for Publialb, said that it was suggested that their detention was made without any institutional decision.

these citizens have been on hunger strike for 15 days

According to media sources, these citizens have been on hunger strike for 15 days, without food or drink. They demand their right to freedom, as was the reason for coming from Iran to Albania.

They have previously said in the media that they are grateful to the Albanian state and that they love our country and try to contribute here in Albania.

While Asila earlier addressed the institutions for an answer regarding this situation, Hassan Heyrani, Hassan Shahbaz, Mehdi Soleimani, Ali Hajari and Gholam Reza Shekari will spend New Year’s Day in detention. “Asila will continue the cultural activities, but also the pursuit for their right”. This is the word of the Asila team.

Publialb AL

January 3, 2023 0 comment

Media

Albanian Kristal TV report on ASILA’s hunger strike

The Albanian Kristal TV reported on the situation of 5 detained members of the Association for the Support of Iranians Living in Albania (ASILA). The detained people are former members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK/PMOI) who have been isolated in the illegal immigrants’ detention center near Tirana since mid-November .

The report titled “Asila’s sacrifices for integrity and social development” begins quoting Dashamir Mersuli, the director of ASILA as telling “A year with challenges”.

“As it is already known, 5 Iranian citizens are kept isolated in the Camp known as Kareç, a high-state security institution,” Kristal TV reports. “The Asila association, which acts in Albania in the framework of the development of cultural activities and the support of the Iranian community in Albania, has continued with its cultural activities and book fairs, like what other associations do, but there has been a lack of interest in these members who are located far from their Asila home.”

some of them were caught under false pretenses, which is just lip service and without any institutional decision.

According to the report, the head of the Asila association, Mr. Dashamir Mersuli, recently said in a press conference that it had been implied that some of them were caught under false pretenses, which is just lip service and without any institutional decision.

“These individuals have been on hunger strike for 15 days, without food or drink according to media sources,” Kristal TV states. “They demand their right to freedom, as was the reason for coming from Iran to Albania.”

The Albanian media reports, “they have previously said in the media that they are grateful to the Albanian state and that they love our country. While Asila earlier addressed the institutions for an answer regarding this situation.”

As Kristal TV predicted Hassan Heyrani, Hassan Shabazi, Mehdi Soleimani, Ali Hajari and Gholam Reza Shekari spent New Year’s holiday in detention.
“Asila will continue the cultural activities but also the search for their right,” Mr. Mersuli told Kristal TV.

January 2, 2023 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization

Michael Rubin: MEK is anything but dedicated to freedom

“Audit the Mujahedin-e-Khalq” is the title of Michael Rubin’s recent article on the group’s criminal background and its current shallow claims for democracy and freedom in Iran propagating in its well-heeled lobbies in the US government. “While the group describes itself as dedicated to freedom in Iran, it is anything but,” Rubin states in the first lines of his article.

As a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog and a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, Michael Rubin has previously authored several articles on the MEK, its violent history and its well-funded lobbying campaign among the US’s corrupt politicians. He starts his article suggesting, “The Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) is a barometer of Washington corruption.”

Rubin gives a brief of the MEK’s background:
“While the group describes itself as dedicated to freedom in Iran, it is anything but. Its roots lie in a combination of Islamism and Marxism. In the run-up to the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the group both allied with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and conducted terrorism against Americans and American companies.
“[Ayatollah]Khomeini back-stabbed his MKO allies. In an episode their spokesman buries and the MKO purges from their website, the group allied itself with Saddam Hussein, killing not only regime officials but also Kurdish dissidents and ordinary Iranians.”

Iranians march for freedom and democracy, not for a cult whose leader still veils and who runs the organization as an autocracy

According to Rubin, the MEK has not changed and today it has nothing to do with the Iranians’ aspirations for freedom and democracy:
“Today, they are not much better: The ongoing Iranian revolution shows the emptiness of previous MKO claims. Iranians march for freedom and democracy, not for a cult whose leader still veils and who runs the organization as an autocracy.”
Criticizing the American politicians who receive MEK’s hefty amounts of dollars, he warns them about the MEK’s unpopularity among the Iranian public opinion:
“Some American politicians may feel they do no harm by taking MKO cash in exchange for peppering a short gala speech with MKO talking points, but they are wrong. Endorsing the MKO is a gift to the Islamic Republic. It plays into the ayatollahs’ propaganda that the West hates Iranians rather than respects them. The MKO, of course, rejects such reality. They embrace the big lie. MKO spokesmen claim popularity and grass roots support, and castigate anyone who criticizes them as part of some broad pro-Islamic Republic conspiracy, no matter how ridiculous.”

MKO Terrorist Group Hires Top US Lobbying Firm BGR

Regarding the MEK’s lavish propaganda campaigns in the West, Rubin calls for investigations on the group’s financial resources. “While their galas are glitzy and seek to project an aura of popularity, their finances are opaque,” he writes.

He continues:
“If the MKO truly was anything more than a political Ponzi scheme, they would open their books to audit. They would explain the murky origins of the money they channel through shell organizations to gain the endorsement of American and European politicians. They would explain how Maryam Rajavi lives a life of luxury, as apparently do the few prominent spokesmen whom the group allows to speak to outsiders.

Every non-profit in the U.S. must file tax returns and explain their income and spending. The MKO and its subsidiaries may not be non-profits, nor is its headquarters in the U.S., but there is no reason the group cannot voluntarily provide the minimum information expected and provided by thousands of American nonprofits.
At the very least, Alireza Jafarzadeh, who often acts as the group’s mouthpiece in the U.S., might release his tax returns just as American politicians do. It would be telling if he lives in luxury while many MKO members live in group homes and apparently donate the vast majority of their earnings to the group.
The reality, of course, is that the MKO will make every excuse not to open their books. They will bluster, but they will never hire a neutral auditor to confirm the legitimacy of their organization. To do so would be to expose the image they seek to project as an illusion carefully crafted for greedy or naïve outsiders.”

He asks the US American and European politicians to “steer clear of the MKO, and redirect any money offered by the group to the protesters actually fighting for freedom in Iran rather than simply seeking to profit from it.”

January 1, 2023 0 comment

The cult of Rajavi

The Mujahedin-e Khalq and revolutionary robbery

Shoplifting is the act that was officially ordered by Massoud Rajavi the leader of the Mujahedin Khalq to his followers. This crime that usually involves stealing items by the person or an accomplice, and leaving the store without paying was constantly committed by members of the MEK across the European cities, according to former members interviewed in the recently published documentary, “Iran Aid- Ashraf Charity”.

The Iranian university professor and historian, Dr. Majid Tafreshi traveled to Britain in order to investigate the 6-thousand-page documents on fraudulent charities of the MEK released by the British judiciary and the British supervising body, Charity Commission. Dr. Tafreshi also interviewed with several former members of the MEK who witnessed the MEK’s fund raising techniques including shoplifting and sham charity works.

The Iranian university professor and historian, Dr. Majid Tafreshi

According to the documentary, shoplifting, robbery and credit card fraud were the first tricks used by the MEK to provide the group’s team houses in Europe before it resorts to raise funds under the cover of aid for Iranian orphans or victims of the Iranian government.

Davood Baghervand Arshad, defector of the group asserts that shoplifting was justified by Massoud Rajavi as “stealing from western Imperialism”. Ali Akbar Rastgoo, another defector living in Germany, quotes Rajavi as saying, “the German government is illegitimate and we steal what belongs to us from the capitalist regime”!

Thus, theft as a criminal act was called “revolutionary robbery” by the MEK leaders and later on it got new titles. Mohammad Karami, defector of the group recalls that it was called “Making Hollandi” during the 1984 and 1985. “Food and clothes were lifted from shopping centers by MEK members all over Europe,” he says.

Baghervand even reveals about MEK supporters who were university students. “They would steal papers and even printers from the university,” he testifies. “When I was working in the MEK’s office in London, the group leaders would send lists from Paris and members had to shoplift the items of the list. Those members who worked at Mc Donald would steal gallons of ingredients and bring to team houses.” He also speaks of a wide network of credit card fraud by MEK members who worked at gas stations across the United Stated.

Rastgoo explains that the organized robbery by the MEK agents was then called “Confiscation Body”! There were some confiscation teams whose duty was to commit robberies for the group. Based on his testimonies, these teams were gradually arrested by the Police and eventually the “Financial-Social Body” was founded by Massoud and Maryam Rajavi. The teams were now supposed to raise funds under the cover of sham charities which is the focus of Dr. Tafreshi’s research.

December 31, 2022 0 comment

Former members of the MEK

Christmas for MEK members vs MEK defectors in Albania

Christmas is one of the most important events of the year for the inhabitants of Europe. A festive atmosphere with its shining lights, colorful and musical celebration spread Christmas spirit across Europe including Albania where more than two thousand Iranians reside inside the isolated headquarters of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK/ PMOI), Ashraf 3, in the village of Manez, north of Tirana.

While members of the MEK, kept as hostages in Ashraf 3, are deprived from the least joys of Christmas, defectors of the group are grateful to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere after years of custody inside the Cult of Rajavi. This enjoyment seems to be so imperative that defectors paid especial attention to it writing about it in their accounts on social media.
It might seem bizarre that a person who has lived in Europe at least for six years had no experience of Christians’ new year celebration before he left the MEK. At least three defectors of the MEK wrote about their experience of Christmas time inside the MEK compared with now that they are outside the MEK.

Three accounts of Christmas gloom and pleasure

About a month ago, Hamid Atabay who is the most recently defected member of the MEK posted a picture of his, with the background of a Christmas tree in the streets of Tirana, on his Facebook. His simple and friendly caption reveal a bitter fact about the cult-like suppressive MEK system.

“I have been in Albania for six years but as far as I was in the MEK cult, I was never allowed to have fun in such a place at night,” Atabay states. “We were apparently free but we were literally imprisoned. I have been able to hang out with my friends since I got myself released.”

Hamid Atabay

This is evidence to differentiate between a destructive cult and a normal political movement. Cults prevent their followers from contacting the outside world including their friends and families and normal occasions of a normal life. Followers are required to dedicate their whole time, money, energy and love to the cult leader.

Although Christmas celebrations and its related traditions are not costumery in Iran and perhaps for some of the Iranian diaspora, the lease advantage of the festivities for the Iranian diaspora can be the few days that they can be off at work. And, this is unheard of in the MEK, even if it is located in a European territory.

On Christmas eve, former member of the group, Mohammad Reza Sedigh writes in his Facebook, “During the years I was in the MEK, I never saw a Christmas tree.”

Mohammad Reza Sedigh

He points out the discriminating ruling system of the MEK. “Christmas celebration was only for Sister Maryam but for us it was a taboo,” he asserts. “Why? Because according to the MEK, Christmas is the symbol of desire for life! The first Christmas after our relocation in Albania, they banned going to the town on the New Year’s Eve. The next year we were working hard to build Ashraf 3. I saw the fireworks over the walls of the camp. I felt very sad that we should not take part in such a great event.”

Khalil Ansarian, the MEK former member

Khalil Ansarian, who has recently published his autobiography as a defector of the Cult of Rajavi recalls that thinking about and speaking of Christmas made him the subject of punishment in a self-criticism meeting in the group.

He tells about it on his Facebook account: “When I was in the MEK cult, I always wished I could take part in Christmas celebrations. After we were relocated in Albania, I made the suggestion to my commander but he responded in an irrational way. He told me that Christmas celebrations are kind of bourgeoisie act. He accused me of thinking about life! He made me to write a report on what I was thinking about and read it in the self-criticism meeting to criticize myself about why I made such a suggestion.”

Today, a large number of MEK defectors live across the world enjoying the delights of Christmas. This could be the right of the residents of Ashraf 3 too but the will not enjoy this basic right until they are taken as hostages by Maryam Rajavi.

December 28, 2022 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

Inside the messy Iranian diaspora groups lobbying Capitol Hill

An Iranian political-militant group previously on the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations now has an outsized influence in Washington.

On a grey December day on a patch of grass near the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, a small group of protesters stood chanting.

Waving flags and carrying posters with photographs of people who died in Iran over the past three months of anti-regime demonstrations, the protesters called for revolution and “regime change in Iran by the people of Iran.” The photographs of the regime’s victims outnumbered the people demonstrating on the Capitol grounds.

A bipartisan group of senators welcomed the event’s organizers into the Kennedy Caucus Room the next day for a briefing. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez attended, as did Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, Cory Booker, and Alex Padilla. Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham, Thom Tillis, Roy Blunt, and John Boozman also attended the event. All the lawmakers made public comments.

But the group organizing the event, the Organization of Iranian American Communities, is tied to a shadowy Iranian diaspora group with a troubled past. The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, also known as the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), is an Iranian political-militant organization that was previously on the U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Experts say the Iranian diaspora tends to fall into several loose categories: political opposition groups like the monarchists led by the late shah’s U.S.-based son, backers of advocacy group the National Iranian American Council, smaller human rights organizations, and organizations linked to the MEK.

Life is forbidden in the Cult of Rajavi

All these different factions are doing outreach on Capitol Hill. The MEK-linked groups are the most visible.
During the Iranian revolution, the MEK members had Marxist-Leninist leanings and were blamed for the death of U.S. personnel. Several sources described the MEK as a cult. It has also been accused of human rights violations.
The MEK’s longtime leader, Massoud Rajavi, vanished from the public eye in 2003. It is unclear whether Rajavi is alive or dead. His wife, Maryam Rajavi, now runs the organization from its compound, Camp Ashraf-3, in Albania. Members of the MEK are allegedly asked to pledge loyalty to the Rajavis. Maryam Rajavi addressed the senators via video link during the Dec. 8 briefing.

“I would argue that it’s very adequately described as a cult,” said Sina Toossi, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington, describing the MEK. “It’s an organization that is widely loathed by Iranians. The major opposition voices who have gained a lot of prominence in this protest movement routinely condemn the MEK and distance themselves from it.

“They’re also authoritarian. People want to move on from the Islamic Republic’s authoritarianism. They don’t want another cult of personality and this anti-democratic, sketchy cult,” Toossi said.

I would argue that it’s very adequately described as a cult. ”

SINA TOOSSI, CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICY, ON THE IRANIAN DIASPORA GROUP KNOWN AS THE MEK

In an email to National Journal, Majid Sadeghpour, a representative of the Organization of Iranian American Communities, described it as a “non-partisan and independent all-volunteer organization” that “advocates for a democratic, secular and non-nuclear Iranian republic.”

He added that the organization’s community supports Rajavi’s 10-point plan for the future of Iran and the MEK’s National Council of Resistance of Iran, an organization the group formed when it went into exile in the 1980s.
During Iran’s revolution in 1979, the MEK supported the Islamists who overthrew the U.S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. But the group soon split from the Islamic clerics and went into exile in France. Its members later fought on the side of Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war, making them wildly unpopular among Iranians.

Photo: President of the National Resistance Council of Iran Massoud Rajavi, left, meets with and the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in Iraq in June 1986.

But after the U.S. took the MEK off the terror list in 2012, it quickly developed a vast network of supporters among influential people in U.S. politics, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former Sen. Joe Lieberman, and former National Security Adviser John Bolton. The National Council of Resistance of Iran has an address on Pennsylvania Avenue and has registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Groups like the Organization of Iranian American Communities and its local offshoots began springing up across the United States. Pompeo spoke at an event organized by the OIAC in Washington on Dec. 17.

Experts say the group pays tens of thousands of dollars for speeches at its events. It also pays people to show up and sit in the audience of its conferences and attend rallies. Yet no one knows precisely where the money comes from. Experts say the group received funding from Saddam Hussein’s government. Some claim they now receive money from Saudi Arabia, Israel, or other powers that oppose the Iranian regime, but no smoking gun definitively proves these connections.

MKO Terrorist Group Hires Top US Lobbying Firm BGR

“This is not a small operation. One of [their] conferences probably runs the entire budget of some of the other diaspora groups for the entire year,” said an analyst who did doctoral research on the group but asked to remain anonymous to avoid backlash. “Once you start to pull the strings of who pays for it and all of that, the thread crumbles really quickly.
“They say it’s based on donations, that it’s based on their popularity, and they can fundraise and things like that,” the analyst added. “They’ve been doing this—the lobbying game, the congressional game—for decades. They are a well-organized, well-heeled, well-funded, and well-remunerating organization.”

To what extent lawmakers are aware of the group’s origins is unclear. National Journal reached out to all lawmakers who attended the Dec. 8 Senate briefing for comment.

Juan Pachon, the communications director for Sen. Menendez, said the Foreign Relations Committee chair is “proud to continue his decades-long work of engaging with Iranian-Americans from across the country, including those whose friends, family members, and colleagues have been repressed, tortured, and killed for opposing the regime for decades.”
Spokesmen for Sens. Tillis and Boozman said the lawmakers were contacted by constituents and asked to offer remarks during the event.

During the briefing, Menendez praised the MEK’s organization, the National Council of Resistance of Iran. Sen. Blunt referenced a trip he had made to Albania, where the MEK’s main headquarters are now located.

The ongoing protests in Iran, which began in mid-September following the death of a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s morality police, have sparked a flurry of outreach and lobbying on Capitol Hill from a variety of Iranian diaspora groups and human rights organizations. All the organizations oppose the Iranian regime and its brutal crackdown on demonstrators. But they appear to have little else in common.

Numerous people contacted by National Journal asked to speak anonymously for fear of online harassment or death threats. Many described the current atmosphere within the Iranian diaspora as “toxic.”
Borzou Daragahi, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, said the internal debates between Iranian diaspora groups are largely removed from what takes place in Iran.

“The more they can unite around a common and all-inclusive agenda in support of the people inside Iran, who are the ones risking their lives, the better,” Daragahi said. “I don’t think they’re doing that now.”
Despite the MEK’s visibility, other Iranian diaspora groups have had some successes working in Washington.
The National Iranian American Council collaborated with Rep. Ro Khanna’s office on a recent letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen calling for protections for Iranians fleeing persecution, according to the group’s president. NIAC has drawn backlash from critics who argue that its advocacy benefits the Iranian regime, a claim the organization rejects.

“Urgent action must be taken regarding Iran’s horrifying execution of protestors and violent repression of peaceful protests,” Khanna told National Journal in an email. “I sent a letter to Secretary Blinken and Secretary Yellen outlining what I believe the administration must do in response, including providing protection to Iranians fleeing persecution and funding internet access in Iran.”

NIAC has advocated for U.S. efforts to support Internet freedom in Iran, which would help protesters organize. That includes providing clarity to tech companies about what they can offer Iranian citizens to circumvent the regime’s crackdown on internet access without running afoul of sanctions.

“We’ve been encouraging [the administration] to do outreach to tech companies to really make clear what is permissible,” said NIAC President Jamal Abdi. “This is purely about what we can do to support the Iranian people and condemn the government. We’ve held in the past couple weeks a few dozen meetings at the grassroots level with lawmakers and staff here in D.C.”

While various organizations hold frequent meetings on the Hill, Toossi at the Center for International Policy noted that the MEK-connected groups are the most persistent.

“Because they are very organized and the members they have are very ideological, and they are well-funded, they are like a small special-interest group,” Toossi said. “These kinds of small special-interest groups have an outsized influence in Washington. They get their people into offices. It’s a very sophisticated operation.”

By Cristina Maza – The National Journal

December 24, 2022 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq as an Opposition Group

Iranian Youth on the MEK, Italian Newspaper explores

“The Mojahedin are not the soul of our revolution” is the title of an interview published in the Italian newspaper, il Manifesto. Francesca Luci of the Manifesto interviewed an Iranian 28-year-old activist named Nazanin, holding a PhD in political science with specific studies on Iranian opposition organizations in the diaspora. The talk was on the role of the Mujahedin-e Khalq in Iranian political developments. Nazanin argues about the MEK’s growing role abroad. But not at home: “Divided by gender, veiled women: they don’t fight for women’s freedom but for power.”

The Mojahedin are not the soul of our revolution

The Interviewer speaks of Rajavi’s assiduous political activity in the US administration and various European chancelleries which is presented by the Iranian government as irrefutable proof of being connected to the powers who are plotting against Iran. He refers to the reports on MEK’s websites on Maryam Rajavi’s speech in the Italian Senate last December 8, promoted by Senators Giulio Terzi and Marco Scurria.
In response to Luci’s first question based on how she assesses the influence of the MEK on recent events in Iran, Nazanin answered:

“It is completely naïve to think that Mek affiliates are not among us. They also have confidants within the government and state security system. Just do an internet search to see the terrorist actions carried out. It stands to reason that this would not have been possible without an information and logistics network within the country. But it is equally naive to think that everything that has happened in these three months has been fomented by the Mek. It is true that the Mek has enormous economic resources, it is connected to strong groups that can influence decisions in many countries, it has a highly developed propaganda system. But it does not have the favor of the people, indeed it arouses a certain widespread hatred among the people for their betrayal during the Iran-Iraq war and for their alliance with the Saudis. But they can influence the movement indirectly, especially through the use of their media. And the presence of their affiliates, in my opinion, is dangerous for the movement: they are trained, they know how to exploit public anger, incite violence. Their history proves that they will sacrifice everything to achieve their goal. However, despite the enormous effort, their weight is marginal.”
Regarding the alliance of the MEK with Israel and Saudis, two main US allies, Nazanin believes that the MEK as “the operative hand of the Saudi and Israeli services on the ground”, is used by the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia to put pressure on the Islamic Republic although “they know very well that the Mek, without a popular base, cannot be an alternative to the Islamic Republic”.

About the judgement of the Iranian youth on the MEK, Nazanin gives a comprehensive answer to Luca:
“The knowledge of our kids is based on the stories of their families, however the internet has been an important tool in their education. Perhaps, compared to their parents, they don’t have a very negative feeling but they managed to get an idea, bypassing the digital filters, reaching the organization’s website. Perhaps the very young still don’t have the analytical skills of political documents but they see the videos of their congresses, it seems to be in North Korea: all dressed the same, divided between women and men, staged speeches, programmed applause. They say they fight for women’s freedom, but all their women strictly wear head coverings. They wonder if it is possible that in that huge audience there is not even one woman who has chosen not to have the veil. They wonder how an organization that in 45 years has had only two presidents – the husband and then the wife – guarantee a democratic and pluralistic state. I personally believe that their belief in armed struggle represents a danger for Iran: we must ensure that the movement does not take this direction. We must be patient and not fall into the attempt to take shortcuts which can be very expensive.”

il Manifesto

December 14, 2022 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization members' families

Mahrokh missing her husband through 35 years of custody in the MEK

Mahrokh Rabani, the wife of Massoud Toosi Bakhsh has not visited her husband for 35 years. Massoud Toosi Bakhsh is located in the headquarters of the Mujahedin-e Khalq in Albania. He has not been allowed to contact his family since he was recruited by the group in 1988.

Mahrokh Rabani was interviewed by the Iranian media in the recent event held by Nejat Society for the first public presentation of the documentary “from Tirana to Tehran”. As well as other families who took part in the event, Mahrokh spoke of her own experience of being the wife of a member of the MEK.
“My Husband was an educated person,” she said. “He was brainwashed in the MEK, it was like some drugs were injected into his body to make him forget his past life.”

Massoud Toosi Bakhsh family

Mahrokh Rabani who has grown up his two sons, Milad and Mehran, alone, continued, “My husband was a lovely man. When he was taken as a war prisoner my children were 6 months old and 6 years old.”

When the MEK was located in Iraq, Mahrokh and her sons traveled to Iraq several times to meet Massoud. They picketed behind the gates of Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty, Iraq. They were never allowed to visit Massoud. They were even insulted by the group agents.
“I climbed a rail in front of Camp Ashraf and shouted the name of my husband,” she recounts. “My husband must have heard me but the MEK leaders pressured him under torture and did not allow him to meet us.”

Some years ago, MEK’s propaganda media published an article allegedly signed by Massoud Toosi in which he accused his family of being agents of the Iranian intelligence ministry and want to kill MEK members!

December 13, 2022 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization's Propaganda System

MEK terrorists disguised as charity people

The formerly designated terrorist of the Mujahedin-e Khalq has sent its agents among the Albanian vulnerable groups and the community of Durres region under the cover of charitable activities.

The MEK’s rank and file are located in the village of Manez in Durres in a barred camp called Ashraf 3. Regarding the violent past of the group with a background of numerous terrorist activities and cult-like attitudes. The group threatens the lives and peace of Albanian citizens, risking their public safety under the cover of providing free medical services to vulnerable groups and the community.

Emiriana Sako; the mayor of Duress at the MEK event

The mayor of Durres, Emiriana Sako, who seems to be perfectly blackmailed by the MEK agents, have posted pictures of the event held by the MEK in one of the schools of Durres appreciating the “Ashraf 3 representatives” financial aids to bring doctors from the United States of America to launch this “humanitarian initiative”.
This is while, the most recent stance of the United States administration against the MEK was published a few weeks ago. On November 15th, the US State Department spokesperson told media outlets that it “continues to have serious concerns” about the MEK, including long-standing allegations about abuse committed against its members.

“As we have said, while the United States revoked the designation of the MEK as a foreign terrorist organization in September 2012, the United States does not see the MEK as a viable democratic opposition movement that is representative of the Iranian people,” reads the statement of the DOS.

As the MEK’s high-ranking member, Behzad Saffari is seen in the photos flattering Ms. Mayor of Durres, she should be warned about the fate of MEK’s former charity activities that were banned in England and Germany. While the MEK is considered a very wealthy organization with unknown financial resources, its charities to raise fund have been always under scrutiny.

According to the 2009 report of the American institute, RAND Corporation, “Although a large portion of the NCRI’s funding was provided by Saddam Hussein and some came from Saudi Arabia, the NCRI also raised money through fraud. For example, until recently, MeK supporters sought donations at airports and public parks, often showing gruesome pictures of women who had been tortured by the IRI, by claiming to raise money for human rights victims in Iran but funneling the money to the MeK instead. The FBI arrested seven MeK supporters for raising more than $1 million for a sham charity, the Committee for Human Rights in Iran, at Los Angeles International Airport. The British Charities Commission closed another MeK sham charity, Iran Aid, after finding no “verifiable links between the money donated by the British public [approximately £5 million annually] and charitable work in Iran.”14 The German High Court closed several MeK safehouses, “foster” homes, and compounds after an investigation revealed that the MeK fraudulently collected between $5 million and $10 million in social welfare benefits.” (RAND report, P. 59)

Former US Vice President Mike Pence

Disguising as benevolent guys, the agents of Maryam Rajavi try to deceive the Albanian public opinion. This is not the first time that they offer free doctor and glasses to the citizens of their neighborhood. Offering a free trip to Europe to American doctors with free residence in luxurious hotel rooms is what the MEK has expertise in.
For their so-called annual great gathering weather in Albania or Paris they are used to spend lavish fees to host Western speakers. The news media are filled with the accounts of MEK’s paying large amounts of money to former politicians in order to speak on behalf of the group. A large number of Western politicians have been on the MEK’s payroll: National Security Adviser John Bolton and the president’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, have both charged hefty fees to speak at MEK rallies in the past few years. Mike Pence, former US vice-president and his wife were the most recent high-profile figures who were received by Rajavi, in Ashraf 3, in June.

Nevertheless, The MEK propaganda accuses the cultural activities of the Association for the support of Iranians Living in Albania (ASILA) as a threat for the Albanian citizens while the association has been founded by former members of the group, itself. Activities of ASILA including holding book fair or donating notebooks to students are clearly aimed at developing cultural links between the two countries.

December 7, 2022 0 comment

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