Mr Gholam-Reza Sadeghi a former member of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (MKO) who was in Ashraf Camp from 1997 until 2006 and stayed about 8 months in the camp controlled by the US Forces called TIPF had previously filed a lawsuit against the MKO in the French judicial system. He has complained the MKO for forcing him to stay in Iraq against his will, imposing psychological and physical pressure on him, and beating him so that his thumb was broken in two places. In this regard his French lawyer who is proceeding the case in the French court had asked him in a meeting to provide him his medical record registered in the American hospital in TIPF which proves that he was tortured when he left the Ashraf camp. Therefore Mr Reza Sadeghi travelled to Iraq and approached the camp to gain that medical record. There happened some events relating to his presence which has been described by him to the Sahar Family Foundation as below:
“. . . I approached the TIPF adjacent to the Ashraf Camp to gain my medical record from the American hospital. While I was waiting in the taxi some MKO guards in Ashraf camp in Iraq recognised me and started photographing me that I took no notice of them. Then as I learned later they informed the Iraqi police based outside Ashrf camp that an Afghan national wearing a blast belt is standing outside the America base and he is aiming to do a terrorist action. Thus some Iraqi police personnel took this warning serious and harassed me with arms and arrested me. The police took away all my belongings and started to take me towards their base. While passing the American check point I started to call them and when they saw us they asked the Iraqi police to take me to them. Meanwhile the MKO persons were busy taking photos. They left the place when the Americans warned them to stop it and asked them to go away.
The personnel in the American check point asked the Iraqi police about the case and they explained that the MKO guard has informed them that an Afghan terrorist wearing a blast belt is busy photographing the US Army facilities and is aiming to carry out a terrorist action, and then we took action to arrest him. I fully introduced myself to the US Forces officer based outside Ashraf camp and explained the reason I was there and told them that I do not posses any weapons or ammunition and I do not have a camera or any other device which might worry them. I told them that I had only approached the TIPF to gain my medical record which indicates that I was tortured when I entered there.
The American officer in charge recorded my particulars and after full investigation and taking orders from his superiors realised that they have been deceived by the MKO persons and I have been subject to a conspiracy where the Iraqi police was made to get involved. He asked the Iraqi police personnel to release me and after I finished my job to escort me back to my taxi that was still waiting for me, and do not let the MKO people bother me anymore or harm me. Meanwhile the American colonel talked to me on the line and assured me that there would be no problem for me and he expressed his wishes that I would make a safe return back to Baghdad.
The Iraqi police personnel took me to their base afterward and asked for my pardon. The higher rank officer said repeatedly after kind hospitality that the Ashraf camp persons misinformed us and we thought that a terrorist activity is in progress against the US Forces. This of course resulted to causing such discomfort for you. He pointed out that neither they nor the American forces have any problem with me or any former MKO member. He also expressed that the MKO is causing a lot of trouble in their province and they are really fed up with these sorts of acts as well as their presence in the area. They asked me to stay with them over the night and be escorted to Khalis in the morning and arrange for my return to Baghdad since it was getting dark and the roads were not safe. I did not accept their offer and decided to return after I finished my business there with the taxi which was waiting for me.
It is worth mentioning that Bizhan Qahremani a member of the MKO intelligence and also Farhang and three other individuals were involved in this case and although they managed to waste my time a little but they once again exposed their nature for the Iraqi police as well as the American forces. The Iraqi police assured me that from now on he would brief his forces not to react immediately on misinformation received form the MKO. He said that such mistakes would not happen again and we would not be trapped within their conspiracy any more. He emphasised that now they are sure the MKO has deliberately misguided them and he is happy that his forces did not harm me when they were provoked by the MKO. . .”
Contact (Iraq):
saharfamily@yahoo.com
Tel: +964 – 7808481650 (Arabic and Farsi)
Contact (outside Iraq):
Sahar
BM 2632
London
WC1N 3XX
U.K.
Tel: +44 – 2076935044 (English only)
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Sahar Foundation, Baghdad, April 03, 2008