Wondering at those Americans who stand under the flag of Mojahedin Khalq (MKO, MEK, NCRI, Rajavi cult) only to LOBBY for the murderers of their servicemen
++ This week it has been revealed that Massoud Rajavi released an audio message during the month of Ramezan addressing his 3000+ followers. Rajavi tells them ‘anyone who wants to leave can go to Hell, as I have no use for you. If I have one thousand loyal devotees I can do anything’. According to this proclamation, ‘the MEK will not pay a penny for anyone if they choose to leave Iraq’, (even though they worked for tens of years for him for nothing). This speech comes in the context that Rajavi has made it almost impossible to get out of the camp and also that the MEK has shown itself desperate to hold on to the 100+ residents who the UN have already transferred to Albania. The MEK have sent commanders from Iraq and Paris to offer them material help and other forms of support in order to keep control of them. It is clear from the reports of the refugees that the MEK is trying to recreate Camp Ashraf/Liberty in Albania.
++ Many write in Farsi about Rajavi’s message and point out that he is responsible for misusing and destroying thousands of people, people who gave up everything to do some good. And now, after destroying the whole organization Rajavi can only tell them to get lost. The conclusion of most is that Rajavi must be bought to justice for all this suffering and destruction. One article in particular talks about ‘shame’ and how at various times Rajavi has shown himself totally without shame and that this is his character.
++ Mahmoud Sepahi analyses what Rajavi says in the Ramezan audio address. His view is that knowing Rajavi and they way he talks, clearly behind all the shouting we can see he is begging the members not to leave him naked and alone. He is begging for protection; especially because Rajavi specifically criticises the people in Albania and asks ‘why have they distanced themselves from me’.
++ In English, Akbar Montaser, Professor of Chemistry (1981-2012) The George Washington University has written an Open Letter to President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry. He points out the contradiction between the spectacle of prominent American politicians and former officials supporting a group despised by Iranians as traitors and until very recently on the US terrorism list, and potential efforts to embark on serious diplomacy and dialogue with the rulers in Iran. He says, “Importantly, such reckless actions by the US government, coupled with new sanctions passed in the House, effectively help the Supreme Leader to convince Iranians that America does not intend to bring the long-lasting disputes to a reasonable conclusion in a peaceful manner. Aside from the Iranian regime, the highly intelligent people of Iran will undoubtedly infer that the delisting of MEK was accomplished to allow America to use MEK as a puppet, to attack Iran, similar to Saddam. Certainly, this type of diplomacy reduces or eliminates any chance of peace.”
++ An article by Nejat bloggers in English also focuses on the huge fees paid by the MEK to American speakers and reminds us that when the MEK was removed from the US terrorism list Congressman Ted Poe claimed that the MEK “has been actively working with US intelligence agencies”. The article is titled, ‘People’s Mojahedin or Intel’s Mojahedin?’ and says the MEK has not been on the side of the Iranian people for 35 years. Instead, “the MKO has to answer many questions over its cooperation with the Israeli and American Intelligence Service and over the 25 years of Massoud Rajavi’s obedience to Iraqi Intelligence chief under Saddam Hussein, General Taher Al Jalil Haboush”.
++ In parts 7 and 8 of his series looking at Forough Javidan after 25 years, Heydar Hanifnejad talks about what happened when he disagreed with the MEK after the failed operation which led to his move to Germany. He talks about how the MEK treated him after he arrived in Germany.
++ Karim Ghassim held a lengthy interview with Radio Payam in Canada, detailing his opinions and explaining why he left the NCRI and why the MEK attacks him and calls him an agent of the Iranian regime. He emphasised that his separation didn’t happen in one day and says, “I tried for a long time to get them to listen to my opposition. Me and others asked to talk about the ridiculous name of ‘Democratic Islamic Republic of Iran’ which was supposed to replace the ‘Islamic Republic of Iran’, which even the Muslim opposition to the current regime don’t understand. But Rajavi never allowed anyone to discuss the matter never mind give any opinion on it.”
++ Nejat Association in Kermanshah (Kurdistan) has published an article titled, ‘Consequences of the MEK’s mercenary activity’. It says no matter how the Americans try to use this mercenary force in various scenarios, the Kurdish population clearly know and have not forgotten how Rajavi joined with Saddam to massacre their people. It concludes, ‘the indictment of Massoud Rajavi in Iraq remains valid in this part of the world whether they are friends with America or not’.
++ The MEK have embarked on another wave of money collection. Many people have written about this tactic which the MEK uses for money laundry. One is Ghorban Ali Hossein Nejad, Rajavi’s former translator who now lives in Paris. He remembers how the MEK have been ‘collecting money’ for years and years and reminds us how the MEK exploited the UN Oil for Food programme by selling oil for Saddam Hussein and taking a percentage. And how the MEK received money from various other sources and had phases of so-called money collections and a few weeks later would announce they had collected several million dollars! He says no one is in any doubt that these have never been legitimate collections, rather it is a way of whitewashing [laundering] payments for mercenary work, this time presumably Israel related.
++ Julie Ershadi, writing for America’s Future, investigates where the MEK gets its money from. “According to a form submitted in compliance with the Foreign Agents Registration Act in May, the NCRI is registered as a foreign principal under Rosemont Associates, LLC. That company is owned by Robert G. Torricelli, a former Democratic U.S. senator from New Jersey. A man who picked up the company phone on Thursday morning wasn’t keen on chatting, and a receptionist who answered another call later that afternoon said Torricelli wasn’t in.”
“According to his company’s FARA filing, the NCRI pays Torricelli $420,000 per year for his services, which include lobbying executive and legislative branch officials. They also gave him $34,975 in March for speeches he gave in Europe.”
++ Mehdi Khoshal published the final part of his article about ‘the horse and the rider’. Last time he addressed Rajavi saying ‘sure, they won’t ask how you won but they don’t give the prize to the horse’. This time he uses the same metaphor to claim that the story of the horse and his rider is not just about the finishing line but about what they go through to get there. He expands on various scenarios concerning the MEK, including Forough Javidan and says it was not Rajavi but Iraqi intelligence who ordered him to go to war. It was Saddam in charge, not Rajavi.
++ Mohammad Karami has published another article in his series on suspicious deaths inside the MEK. This time he talks about Kamran Bayati, a Kurd from Kermanshah, who the MEK claim committed suicide. Karami, who knew Kamran personally, names a few people including Afsaneh Shahrokhi, Fahimeh Mahhoozi, Mohammad Reza Mohadess, Karim Gorgon, Siamak Diamati as people who collectively were in charge of torture and explains that one of the tortures they used against Kamran was dripping water on his forehead to force him to accept that he should write to ask to attend a collective meeting to confess his sins.
++ Mohammad Alavi from Aryia Association in Paris examines Rajavi’s approach to the Islamic Republic of Iran from the time he was part of it, through the many times he has had covert and overt discussions with its various factions, to the latest incident just before election this year when Rajavi wrote to Ayatollah Rafsanjani and Ayatollah Khamenei. Alavi points out that Karim Ghassim and Mohammad Reza Rowhani both cited this as one of the reasons they left the NCRI. He then describes Rajavi’s use of cult manipulation to fool his supporters to pretend nothing is wrong. On one hand he claims he will topple regime but at same time he is writing love letters to IRI leaders.
++ Irandidban has an article titled, ‘An open letter, but not like Iraj Mesdaghi or Massoud Rajavi’. This says that at this point of time these kinds of letters are too little, too late. What is left of the MEK after Saddam, Israel and the human rights abuses, has now reached a tragicomic phase. The article suggests the only decent thing left for them is to openly announce the dissolution of the MEK. ‘We don’t say this as being defeatist, but believe this is the only remaining positive path in front of this organisation. This is the path for survival of the people in the MEK rather than a path of destruction.’
++ Many write in Farsi to ask ‘why is it banned inside the MEK to ask “where is Rajavi after ten years?”‘
++ Mohammad Reza Rowhani had an interview about his resignation from the NCRI with Pejvak Iran. He goes through his various reasons and how the MEK reacted by falsifying things to try to demonise him and his friends. In this lengthy interview Rowhani criticises some of the people in the NCRI who have submitted to swearing at him even though they have known him for years, so that it is clear they are not doing this on their own initiative but have been made to do it.
++ Bahar Irani from Mojahedin.ws writes, ‘What Alternative?’ and analyses the system of the NCRI and how it operates. He ridicules the MEK ‘particularly after being exposed by the last two non-MEK members who recently resigned and asks how can the MEK still call itself ‘the alternative’.
Iran Interlink Weekly Digest – August 16 2013