++ In Albania, ex-members claimed victory after Rajavi refused to pay them their living allowances. Now the government and the UNHCR have accepted that this situation cannot go on and they will pay money to them individually. The ex-members have been told to open a bank account with the documents they have and in the near future they will have money paid directly to them so that they are no longer dependent on Rajavi. The amount to be paid is less than the minimum needed to live on, but considering there are no jobs for them it is better than nothing. Many outlets published writing saying ‘we resisted and won, and Rajavi lost again. Get Lost Rajavi! You have no hold on us and we can say what we want’.
++ In Albania the MEK announced the death of three members – two men and one woman. According to the MEK they died from heart attack and cancer. Former MEK members wrote their memories of them. One in particular is said to have worked as a torturer inside the MEK. Some remember the woman. They say she was on the fringe of the organisation for years and didn’t want to work with them. But, because of her advanced age she was afraid of leaving as there was nowhere for her to go. She lived out her time in the MEK under severe pressure.
++ Many Iranian oppositionists living outside Iran have written angry pieces against Maryam Rajavi for destroying the potential uprising in Iran. They lay blame on Rajavi and the media for using false pictures and fake reports. They conclude, that if the MEK hadn’t been involved, a real protest movement might have developed.
In English:
++ The Albanian Center Against Terrorism lists the Mojahedin Khalq as a violent extremist organisation. The listing is reflected in a training manual for teachers which lists Daesh, Al Qaida and the MEK.
++ Zahra Moeini, a former MEK member, wrote an open letter published in Iran Zanan to two MEPs warning them against supporting the MEK. She gives an overview of MEK behaviour and activities which reveal the MEK’s hypocrisy and cruelty. The letter concludes “… if you are not able to help Iranian people in their uprising, at least stop supporting the enemies of Iranian people, and your excellencies should know that standing beside the leadership of this cult and the enemy of the Iranian people is like stabbing the Iranian people in the back”.
++ Several other articles in English focused on what is known about foreign interference in the recent protests in Iran. They name America, Israel and Saudi Arabia along with their proxy the MEK. These articles demonstrate that the only winners from involvement of the MEK – whether real or alleged – have been the hardliners in Iran. The protesters lost and the regime change pundits lost.
January 19, 2018
