Falling in a well called Ashraf
Interview with Mahmoud Dashtestani a recently defected member of Mujahedin Khalq Organization.
In their mind control system they had to prevent the members’ minds getting into sexual or emotional thoughts. If you think of your ex-wife, you should write it and then read your confessions in your brainwashing meetings where your comrades will attack you, insult you saying that “you are wrong”, “damn you”. “That woman is not your wife any more”. “She is your ideological sister”. “She belongs to the leader”.
The weekly brainwashing meetings are obligatory. You must confess a sin -a sexual one. It will be even worse if you do not confess anything. They take you to a place called Bengali where they talk to you for several days, putting you under too much pressure. They say that you definitely have some sexual thoughts that you are concealing.
Their arguments and sometimes quarrels in the meetings were justified as “human science”! What a human science! They call it monotheist “Anthropology” in which they use peer pressure as weapon. They say peer pressure is just like the leader.
They always label the members as “ogle”. For instance, when you watch CNN news on Mujahedin’s TV, they accuse you of watching the female speakers with sexual desires!
According to MKO, all the cults’ members are melted in Maryam’s revolution that was anti-bourgeoisie and anti –exploitation.
Her revolution begins with “the value of women”. So men should divorce their wives so that they are not exploited by their husbands any more. If they are really sure that all members have been melted in Maryam’s revolution, why are they so worried about any mistake made by members and they try to keep them under their control?
In Ashraf there are various security units such as street patrolling, regional protection, road security, gates security, Ashraf security,… if they claim that members have been unified with Maryam’s revolution, why these too many bars?
During the past six months, I travelled through half of Iranian territory, I was never asked a question but in Camp Ashraf if you want to go outside – to the streets in front of your unit- to do some exercise or to go for a walk, you have to ask at least three superior officials for permission and also you cannot go alone, you have to go with a superior member who monitors you.
We were about one thousand and 300-400 hundred people who joined Ashraf after the war[Iran – Iraq] ended and at the time of Gulf war. Today there might be less than 300 people who daren’t leave the camp because of their fear not because of being faithful to MKO.
When I escaped the camp and went to the hotel I saw some of those members that Massoud had told about them,” they were killed while escaping “or” they are now wandering in Iraq looking for a piece of bread to eat.” I saw them, living a normal life in the hotel waiting for their return to Iran or their immigration to Europe.
A few days ago, a family called me saying that they were afraid if their brother – who is in Ashraf – returned to Iran, he would be arrested. I told them that nothing would happen to him. I am living in Iran right now.
– Mr. Dashtestani, Massoud Rajavi has been hiding since 2003. Have the members ever asked where he wass or why he disappeared?
– You can never ask such a question in camp Ashraf, because you will be seriously tortured mentally and psychologically.”What do you mean?”,”Do you mean Massoud Rajavi?”,”Your brother?”,”Why do you ask such a question?”
My best friend was Akbar Mohebi. We were captured together in 1979. He is really my intimate friend but I didn’t dare to ask him the question even when we were both alone.
Translated by Nejat Society