In a distortion of historical records, the former Secretary of Homeland Security describes the Mujahedin-e Khalq’s murder of US citizens as “allegations.”
Last week, Sean Nevins, Voice of Russia correspondent, attended what he called “a last ditch effort to derail diplomacy and garner support for regime change in the Islamic Republic” held on the Capitol Hill by the MEK and wrote about his observations and interview with Tom Ridge.
“Prominent US officials, such as John Bolton (Fmr. US Ambassador to the United Nations), Tom Ridge and Brad Sherman (D-CA), attended and spoke on behalf of the MEK,” Nevins wrote. “However, rather than focusing on the legitimately tragic events that took place against the MEK and its compound in Iraq, speakers zeroed in on the Iranian nuclear deal and its potential problems while also supporting regime change in the country.”
Following the briefing, he then approached the former Pennsylvania governor about supporting MEK, which “killed American citizens in the past.”
According to Nevins, Ridge denied the veracity of the claims, calling them “allegations,” and said that, if true, “the people at Liberty and Ashraf [the camps in Iraq] weren’t involved in those… assassinations back then”.
“This answer is despite the fact that the State Department, Human Rights Watch, and the Rand Corporation say that the MEK was involved with those killings.”
“Additionally, Voice of Russia asked the former Secretary about allegations by the same aforementioned organizations that the MEK has abused its own members in the Iraqi camps,” he added. “Again, the Secretary challenged the veracity of the claims.”
In a distortion of history, MKO and its supporters are trying to whitewash the groups anti-imperialism record and its killing of US citizens in 1970s, although the group claimed triumphantly the responsibility of some of its attacks.
In a June 4, 1980, issue of the Mojahed , MKO claimed responsibility for the assassination of Lieutenant Colonel Louis Lee Hawkins under the headline “The Revolutionary Execution of a US Advisor.”
“With the revolutionary execution of Hawkins in June 2, 1973, we have shown that we will kill the US, UK, and Israeli (military) advisors in response to the blood of our people shed by the Imperialists,” adds the statement. “We are still loyal to our oath, and will not give up until we make Iran their grave.”
In its Country Report on Terrorism, the US State Department confirms that the MEK, during the 1970s, “killed US military personnel and US civilians working on defense projects in Tehran and supported the takeover in 1979 of the US Embassy in Tehran.”
