Ali Ekrami, a former member of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) and the current head of Nejat Society’s office in Ahvaz, Khuzestan, participated in the 11th hearing of the MEK’s charges. Ali Ekrami was a victim of the MEK’s cult-like system. He left the group 18 years ago. He was a member of the group for 25 years.
During the court, the lawyer of the plaintiffs, Hakimzadeh Hosseini introduced Ekrami, as a person who is informed about the case, to the court. Under the order of the judge, Ali Ekrami got in place. H testified about the MEK’s spying activities against Iran during Iran-Iraq war.
Ekrami began his life story by saying: “Influenced by the slogans of the organization in 1979, I joined the MEK while I was a student of oil university.”
He continued: “After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, I was an idealist young boy with a poor family. I worked and studied at the same time and I felt that the MEK was the key to the happiness of the Iranian nation.”
The former member of the MEK added: “After the group announced armed struggle in 1981, I did not join it, but once again I was recruited by the group in 1986. I went to Iraq through Pakistan and I became a member of the 56th rank of the group’s central council.
Based on his testimonies, in 1987 Ekrami was charged with foreign policy and relations with Iraq in the MEK’s central council. Ath the time, the office of the headquarters was located in Baghdad. Ekrami was a member to coordinate the relations with Iraq and part of the Iraqi intelligence.
He added: “I was one of the coordinators for the meeting between general Haboush [former Iraqi intelligence official who served under the regime of Saddam Hussein] and Massoud Rajavi. The video was taken by Iraqi intelligence.”
The former member of the MEK said: “We collected intelligence from inside Iran and provided it to the Iraqi intelligence and the Ba’athist regime through telephone hearing and spying. 400 military advisers were trained at the Camp Ashraf. And, mainly in all MEK-run operations, the ammunitions and military equipment were provided by Iraqi Baa’th regime.”
Referring to Iraq’s bombings of Iranian cities during the Iran-Iraq war, he said: “The MEK leaders ordered the members whose hometowns had been bombed by Iraq, to contact their families and seek information about the amount of demolition and fear of the people, while in the MEK, members were banned from communicating the family. In fact, the group asked its members to get information from their families under the cover of expressing concern about them.”
Ali Ekrami is a victor now. He has built his self-confidence. He is stronger than he was in the past, under the cult-like structure of the MEK. Unlike when he was a victim of the Cult of Rajavi, he now recognizes the influence he has over his circumstances. Thus, he participated the trial of his former leaders and commandants.