The 16th trial session of the hearing on crimes of members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) terrorists was held in Tehran. The recent session was held at the 11th branch of the criminal court of Tehran province on Tuesday, August 13th in a case that tried 104 members of the MEK as well as the group as a legal entity in absentia. The court was presided by Judge Dehqani.
The court was attended by the lawyers of the plaintiffs, the family of the victims, the lawyers of the defendants the prosecutor’s representative and survivors of the group’s terrorist acts.
Molai, the lawyer of plaintiffs asked the court to deal with the terrorist act of bombing the office of the Islamic Republic Party on June 27th, 1981 out of many accusations included in the indictment.
As a survivor of the attack, Seyyed Mohammad Sajjadi, who was injured in that terrorist incident, was placed on the stand with the permission of the judge. “Many damages have been caused to the country by the horrible MEK, including myself, who was harmed in that terror attack,” he addressed the court. “I demand justice from the court. At that time, I spent all my wealth on treatment, and the treatment is still going on.”
The victim of the MEK’s terrorist act asked for severe material and spiritual punishment of the defendants. Asked by the judge to describe the explosion incident on June 27th, 1981, Sajjadi stated: “The meeting of the central council of the party started before the evening prayer, and the prayer was performed after the meeting. A few minutes after the start of the meeting, the explosion occurred.”
According to Sajjadi, as a result of the incident, the left side of his body, his eye, his lung and his head were hurt, and there is still a splinter in his ligament. He was also targeted by the MEK twice later.
“In September 1982, they hit the back of my head with a stick several times,” he told the judge. As an eye-witness, he was asked by the court about the extent of the damages the explosion caused to the building of the Islamic Republic party. Sajjadi answered, “The entire roof of the building collapsed”
Molai asked the judge for permission to show a video of Massoud Rajavi in which he admits to committing the terrorist act against the office of Islamic Republic party. The lawyer said, “We don’t have any proof as solid as confession.”
He further invited Ebrahim Khodabandeh, a former member of the MEK, in the international section of the group, as a witness, to appear on the stand. The judge clarifies that for the time being, Khodabandeh’s statements would be heard as the ones of an informant. The meeting to hear the testimony of the witnesses is scheduled for the next session.
Ebrahim Khodabandeh, a former member of the MEK and the director of Nejat Society, said: “I was a member of the organization for 23 years, and I accomplished missions for the organization in twenty countries, and I came to the country in 2003.”
About the bombing of the office of the Islamic Republic party he explained, “A public meeting was held in Iraq, which became known as the three-day meeting. In the meeting, the explosion of the office of the Islamic Republic Party was claimed by Rajavi. I remember Masoud Rajavi said in the meeting, ‘we have said everywhere that the people’s anger exploded the office.’” That was the anger of the People’s Mujahedin, (Khalq means people in Persian).
Based on Khodabandeh’s speech, “Rajavi said that our work was right and the Islamic Republic of Iran could no longer form this party. He was proud of it.”