To the honorable statesmen of the Republic of Albania and to whomsoever it may concern in Albania
I am Ebrahim Khodabandeh, the CEO of the Nejat Society in Iran. Nejat Society belongs to families whose loved ones are trapped in the isolated and remote camp of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization in Albania, and for decades they have not been able to have any contact with them. I do not have any government position and the activity of the Nejat Society is only humanitarian and in line with fulfilling the wishes of the families and is not related to the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In the many meetings that I have had with these families in different cities of Iran, questions have been raised by them that are related to the issue of “Albanian national sovereignty”. Below, I am addressing these questions to the honorable statesmen of the Republic of Albania, so that maybe if it is considered appropriate, I will receive an answer from whoever is concerned.
The MEK was brought to Iraq from France during the rule of Saddam Hussein to be used during the war with Iran. The active cooperation of this organization with the enemy invading the country, against the border guards and defenders of the homeland, caused this organization to be highly hated among the people of Iran, and even among the hardest opponents of the Islamic Republic.
When Saddam Hussein was overthrown in Iraq, the presence of the MEK in that country became a threat to national security. Iraqi governments one after another wanted this organization to leave Iraq, but the MEK resisted, until in 2016, they settled in Albania, with the same cultic form, in an isolated and remote camp.
The claim of the Albanian government is that this organization was accepted in the territory of Albania for humanitarian reasons and was prohibited from any political and propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Based on the testimony of many people who left this group and now live inside and outside of Albania, as well as based on the propaganda media of the MEK, during these years, this organization has been systematically engaged in the following matters from the territory of Albania and from its headquarters:
– Violation of the most basic human rights of the members inside the camp, especially banning contact with family, and depriving them of any freedom and authority
– Cyber activities against the mental security of the Iranian people from inside the camp using the facilities of the Albanian internet services with thousands of fake accounts and also hacking the internal systems of Iran.
– Directing the so-called rebel centers inside the country from inside the camp, in the so-called internal headquarters, for harmful and terrorist actions and financing them.
Now, the main question is, does the Albanian government have enough knowledge of the actions of this group in their camp and its internet activities from Albanian soil? Definitely, the security system of Albania has monitored the media of this organization and talked to its former members many times and is aware of the nature of the matter. Does the Albanian government not consider it necessary to have more control over the activities of this group inside the camp?
The families ask whether measures such as the following have been taken with the initiative of the Albanian government and security system, or have the requests of the MEK been met?
– Imprisonment of Mr. Ehsan Bidi in the Karrec camp for two and a half years without presenting any charges, and once his illegal deportation to Greece and then his illegal deportation to Iran against all standards of refugee rights, so that now he is in custody and is awaiting trial in Iran
– Undeserved search of the building of the Association for the Support of Iranians Living in Albania (ASILA) and the houses of its members and confiscating their money and devices and a one-day interrogation of them, which did not find any illegal cases, and subsequently, a propaganda controversy against ASILA in the media.
– Preventing the entry of two German citizens of Iranian origin who were invited to participate in the wedding party of Mr. Gholamreza Shekari without providing any reason
– Preventing the visit of the Canadian family as well as the Swedish family and other families to visit their loved ones in the MEK camp in Albania and misbehaving with them, including threats and confiscation of phones.
– The illegal deportation of Mr. Hasan Heirani, who has an Albanian wife, to Greece, against all standards of refugee rights, after being imprisoned for several months in Karrec without being charged, and his wife being impeached when leaving the border to Greece.
– The illegal deportation of Mr. Gholamreza Shekari, who has an Albanian wife, to Greece, against all standards of refugee rights, after being imprisoned for several months in Karrec without being charged, he was beaten by the Greek police and returned to Albania, who is still locked up in Karrec for no reason.
– Imprisonment of Mr. Ali Hajari, whose child was recently born (he was of course released lately), Mehdi Soleimani, who has an Albanian wife, and Hassan Shahbaz, for more than six months in the Karrec camp, without their crimes being determined and in pure uncertainty.
All these cases and other cases, from the point of view of the families, have only provided the wishes of the Rajavi terrorist cult. While the members of the MEK freely leave and return to Albania in large numbers, the members of ASILA do not even have an identity card and are not allowed to open a bank account or get a work permit, and they have not been given travel documents, which at least if their families are not allow to enter Albania and visit, they can visit their families in a third country.
Has the Albanian government lost its right to national sovereignty against the MEK and Maryam Rajavi? Has a government been formed within the government just like the rule of Saddam Hussein in Iraq? Is the Albanian government, for the wish of the MEK, refusing from issuing visas to Iranians, especially families? Has the Albanian government thought about the consequences of this, which is, leaving the hands of the MEK open for any illegal action and yielding to its demands, which can become a threat to national security in Europe?
Recently, I wrote a message addressed to the Albanian statesmen and I mentioned some points that I am attaching a copy of it to this one. I have nothing to do with political issues and the problems of relations between Iran and Albania. I am speaking on behalf of families, whose most basic human rights, the right to communicate with their loved ones, have been violated. Since the MEK is based in Albania, the Albanian government is and will be responsible for all the behavior and performance of this organization.
Ebrahim Khodabandeh
CEO of Najat Society