A spokesman for the family members of terrorism victims in Iran says the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) is simply an earlier version of al-Qaeda.
Iraj Moradi, the spokesman for the Edaalat Society, which represents over 12,000 relatives of Iranian victims of terrorism, said the MKO and al-Qaeda use the same methods to lure their members into carrying out terrorist attacks.
Iraj is the son of Ebrahim Moradi, a blacksmith who was assassinated by the MKO in June 1984.
The Mujahedin Khalq Organization is a terrorist group banned by many countries including the US. It has claimed responsibility for numerous terror attacks inside Iran and Iraq since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
At a recent UN human rights conference in Geneva, Edaalat Society revealed documents highlighting the extent of MKO activities in Iran as well as the group’s cooperation with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
The MKO has long been charged with assisting Saddam in the massacre of thousands of Iraqi civilians.
A British envoy, who has received the documents, asked the delegation to shed light on MKO crimes in a visit to the UK – where a British court has dropped the MKO from its blacklist of terrorist organizations.
“Edaalat Society does not seek revenge,”said Sepehri, the daughter of another Iranian victim.
“Branding some terrorists ‘good’ and some ‘bad’ would legitimize their actions and provide a pretext for their existence,”she said referring to the recent UK court ruling.
She added that is why the MKO has continued its existence.
According to Sepehri who is the official spokesman for the Edaalat Society, terrorists are sick people who are suffering from hallucinations due to the cult-like structure of their organizations and could be cured if they were freed from the mind-control tactics of their leaders.
A delegation of the Edaalat (Justice) Society has recently visited Geneva to attend the UN human rights summit and meet NGOs and rights groups.