Ministry of Interior Affairs of the Government of the Republic of Albania
Mr. Bledar Çuçi, Minister of Interior
Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard
Dear Sir
Ms. Batul Soltani and Mr. Afshin Kalantari, two citizens of Germany, were captured by the police under the command of the ministry for three days in transit at Mother Teresa Airport (Rinas) in Tirana. They entered Tirana legally with German passports at the invitation of the registered and legal ASILA (Association for the Support of Iranians Living in Albania) to participate in the ceremony of their friends from Germany. But Albanian police stopped them and asked them to return to their country of origin.
Batul Soltani Passport
Afshin Kalantari Passport
The following is a very strange reason given by the Albanian police:
“Since the meeting of the Mojahedin- Khalq (MEK) in Albania has been disrupted and they are extremely angry, and since they have had a hostile relationship with their former members and have threatened to kill them, the Albanian police cannot protect Batul Soltani and Afshin Kalantari, and since there is a serious threat to their lives, their entry to Tirana will be prevented.”
The exact same answer was given to the Embassy of the Republic of Germany in Albania against their request for an explanation and even to the German police. This is despite the fact that the leaders of the MEK, that is those who made the death threats according to the Albanian police, were easily present in the transit area of the airport and even ordered or forbade the police.
This is exactly the example of Saadi’s statement that “they tied the stone but left the dog loose”** .
Those who separated from the Rajavi Cult in Albania do not hope for the help of the government of this country, but at least what they want is not to be harassed by the police and the Ministry of Interior and to be on their own so that they can at least spend the rest of their lives peacefully outside the captivity of the leaders of the Rajavi Cult.
Some time ago, the place of ASILA was searched due to manufactured information that was given to the anti-corruption and organized crime police by the MEK, and its members were directed to the police headquarters to give explanations, and their phones, laptops, and cash were confiscated. Ultimately, no evidence of illegal activity was found.
Certainly, these kinds of disturbances that are done for the sake of appeasing Rajavi’s terrorist Cult are not in accordance with the highest interests of the nation and not strengthening the national security of Albania. It is interesting to note that in the prosecutor’s warrant which was issued for the investigation, it was clearly stated that about 300 members of this organization went to European countries illegally. This means the export of terrorism from a country that wants to join the European Union to the member states of the European Union.
I request you to end the maltreatment of the former members for welcoming the terrorist cult of the MEK. You know better than anyone else how much this organization is hated by the people of Iran, and copying with it will not benefit your country in the long run.
Thanks,
Ebrahim Khodabandeh
CEO of Najat Society
Copy to:
Albanian and European media and parliamentarians
**The famous Iranian poet Saadi (an association with the same name operates in Albania) has the following story in one of his books of wisdom called Golestan:
The stone is tightened and the dog is loose!
One of the poets went to the chief of the thieves and praised him. The chief said to remove the clothes from him and expel him from the village. The poor man went naked to the cold. The dogs followed him. He wanted to pick up a stone and repel the dogs. The ground was frozen and he failed. He said: “What bastards these people are; The stone is tightened and the dog is loose! “
Chief looked away and heard and laughed and said: “O Hakim, ask me for something.” He said, “I want my clothes, if you give me a gift.”
A person was hoping for the good of others *** I do not hope for the good of you, please do not bring evil
“Saadi’s Golestan”