Over two decades ago, in October 1999, the leader of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization Masssoud Rajavi assigned his third wife Maryam Rajavi as the chief commandant of the organization. This way, under the new title Maryam who was the co-leader –together with Massoud– of the group turned in to the second authority although Massoud pretended to have promoted Maryam’s echelon in the hierarchy of the cult.
As a matter of fact, the election of Maryam as the first authority elevated Massoud to a higher level which no one would reach. Since then, in his new position as the ideological leader Massoud was defined as so virtuous and immaculate that all followers had to worship him and devote their life to reach his virtues thorough Maryam!
But actually, the MKO members devoted their lives to fulfill Massoud’s ambitions. He became the absolute power of the cult who wanted absolute obedience. Immediately after the designation of Maryam as the chief commandant, divorce became obligatory. Spouses were forced to live separately. Systematic human rights violations officially began in the MKO.
Massoud Rajavi became the Guru of his cult of personality. To maintain members under the control of his cult structure, he had to control all aspects of members’ lives. According to the testimonies of former members to that date the arguments and speeches in the meetings that were held in the MKO were mostly political but after the new arrangement meetings turned into cult jargons in which sexual relationship was presented as taboos that was forbidden for members. However, it was entirely free and unlimited for Massoud Rajavi. It was later revealed by female members who defected from the cult that Massoud Rajavi had sexual relationship with a large number of women of his cult of personality.
This is just one aspect of the corruption of the MKO leaders and the numerous cases of human rights violations committed in the Cult of Rajavi. Human Rights Watch report on the MKO, titled” No Exit” might be a proper sources to study a part of human rights abuses that the MKO leaders commit against their members.
By Mazda Parsi
