The 23rd session of the trial court of 104 Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) members and the group as a legal entity was held in Tehran. The recent session was held at the 11th branch of the criminal court of Tehran province on Tuesday, November 19th, 2024. The court was presided by Judge Dehqani.
At the beginning of the court, Judge Dehqani declared that some of the injured ones and families of the victims filed a complaint in the Tehran Prosecutor’s Office the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) and its 104 defendants due to the terrorist acts that occurred.
“The charges in this case are examples of human rights violations and acts of terrorism,” he said. “Despite the nature of the charges, this court was formed with the presumption of innocence and observance of the rights of defense for the defendants and the appointment of occupying lawyers, and announced that the defendants can introduce lawyers to the court.”
lawyer of plaintiffs, Kazemi, said: “The MEK terrorist group has so far assassinated more than 12,000 Iranian citizens blindly or in a targeted and organized manner, while the number of those injured in terrorist acts is more than twice the number of those killed.”
A former high-ranking member of the MEK took the stand in order to testify against the group. Isa Azadeh who was a member of the MEK for 37 years left the group in 2003 and lives in France now. He traveled to Iran to attend the trial court of the MEK and its 104 defendants.
Isa Azadeh stated in his testimony that he had been working in the same unit with the operator of the bombing of the Iranian Prime Minister’s office, Massoud Kashmiri. At the time, he was called by his nickname, Bagher.
Azadeh testified how Massoud and Maryam Rajavi revealed Kashmiri’s identity in a meeting because they wanted to prevent his defection. “There was a meeting of ideological revolution,” Azadeh said. “The meetings for forced divorce. Massoud Rajavi called on Mujahed brother! Massoud Kashmiri! This was a military order”
According to Isa Azadeh’s testimonies, Kashmiri was shocked by being called with his real name. This was Rajavi’s tactic to stop him because Kashmiri had criticized Rajavi’s ideological revolution and did not want to divorce his wife. In the meeting Maryam Rajavi implied that Kashmiri took the bomb to the Prime Minister Mohammad Javad Bahonar’s office. Azadeh also confirmed that the operation had been launched under the direct order of Massoud Rajavi.
Two other witnesses were present in court who asked not to be named. One of them introduced himself: “I was in the MEK for a total of 23 years, but due to my young age, I was in the organization for 18 of those years. I was taken there by my family at the age of 11 and joined the group at the age of 16 again. I left the group in 2006 and have been in Iran for 18 years.”
He testified about Kashmiri as the agent of the Prime Minister’s office explosion as saying, “In 2006, when I left the organization, the Americans had set up a camp. I went there with other friends who were there and were watching TV. Speaking of the Prime Minister’s office bombing, they said it was Kolahi’s work and Kolahi was Baqer. And then I realized that Baqer was Masoud Kashmiri. Friends said it was him. Later, when I saw his photo on social media, I realized that it was 100 percent him. We heard about the explosion of the prime minister’s office from Masoud Rajavi himself many times in public meetings where he attended and he had repeatedly mentioned the explosion of the presidency and the prime minister’s office. He said it was our work. Masoud Kashmiri is Baqer and he was involved in the explosion.”
Ebrahim Khodabandeh, the head of Nejat Society was the lsa witness to testify in the 23rd session of the court. He told the court about Massoud Rajavi: “I heard a sentence from a member of the MEK when we were on a mission, that was shocking, and he quoted Rajavi as saying that when step in Iran, everyone you encounter is an enemy.”
According to Khodabandeh’s testimony, other people he later met in Iran where those who were part of the operational teams, they were arrested, went to prison, tried, and later released, and some went abroad. They also told Khodabandeh that everyone on this side of the border is an enemy. Anyone you encounter should be killed on the spot so that they don’t have the opportunity to go anywhere and reveal the operation.
At the end of the court hearing, the judge announced that all members of the MEK who are willing to participate in the trial, observing the legal standards and the principle of innocence can attend the court. And anyone who has information about the charges in this case should appear in court. The next court session will be held on December 4th.