The families whose children are taken as hostages in Camp Ashraf, asked the Iraqi government to execute the regulation ruled by the council of ministers, based on taking the responsibility of protection of Camp Ashraf from American forces and paving the way for MKO expulsion.
Nejat Society‘s Mazandaran office held a gathering on Friday August 22nd, 2008. About 300 families who have a family member in MEK’s camp in Iraq participated in the gathering where they condemned the British government’s decision on the removal of MEK from the list of terrorist organizations and sought the assistance of Iraqi government in order to aid them to visit their beloved ones after over twenty years. The meeting started with the speeches made by Mr. Hussein Nasuri and Mr. Nowrouz tavakoli who have just been saved from MEK cult; describing their memories of the cult, they mentioned how MEK officials prevent the members from visiting or contacting their families and believe deeply that the family is the poison to the organization. The defectors stated that the cult leader has officially declared that “family is the centre of corruption”! The other lecturer at the gathering was Mr. Ebrahim Khodabande who has a twenty–three–year experience of witnessing MKO, addressed the families:” the security contract between Iraq and the US, in which the future of Camp Ashraf in defined, has terrified Rajavi’s Cult which is worried for the defection of the forces due to the transfers made between US and Iraq.” He also added:” the MKO Cult sees the families as its main threat and is sure that if the members could contact their origins and routs, they would leave their organizational identity and would associate with the society and family as a true human being.” As an ex-member who served in the highest ranks of MKO in Europe and Iraq – under Saddam Hussein’s rule- addressed the families:” we should be concerned about the recent decision made by the UK because they paved the way for the instrumental use of your children in a new phase and such an action is considered as the reproduction of terrorism and it will take victims out of your children.” Mr. Sametipur, the responsible for foreign relations of Nejat Society, who has a long experience of living in the MKO in the US or Iraq, was another speaker at the gathering. He gave a report on his recent visits with the Red Cross representatives, British diplomats and parliamentarians and also Swiss and Iraqi parliament members. He distributed some forms among families to fill out to state their petition against MKO asking for visiting their children. Mrs. Shalchi and Mrs. Malek who have precious experiences of living in MKO and are completely aware of the manipulation techniques used by MKO answered the audience’s questions on various subjects. The sort of questions asked by the families notifies the fact that they are really eager to achieve a mechanism for the rescue of their beloved ones. The gathering was covered by AlAlam TV channel, Press TV and the local mass media of the Province of Mozandaran.