Hot Topics

Israel’s Iranian Opposition?

(Representatives of Pro-Israili interests rully to promote Mojahedin Khalq terrorists)

Representatives of Pro-Israili interests rully to promote Mojahedin Khalq terrorists Two days ago, I found it curious to learn of a large rally held in Paris by the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI, also known as MEK or MKO) by reading the headlines on Ynet and on Ha’aretz. I usually follow Iranian opposition events via various other Iranian websites, where the rally was not mentioned. And while the Israeli press can be counted upon to have nearly daily entries in its hysterical campaign towards a military confrontation with Iran, it still seemed curious to find this rally by a relatively discredited Iranian opposition group featured so prominently on these Israeli websites. But then reading closely the matter was clarified somewhat (from Ha’aretz):
The rally by the PMOI, which Washington considers to be a terrorist organisation, was attended by former US ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and Jose Maria Aznar, the former prime minister of Spain.
Bolton and Aznar were there to represent a transatlantic coalition of neoconservative pro-Israeli interests who seem to wish to promote the PMOI as the legitimate opposition to Iran’s clerical regime. Bolton’s credentials need no rehearsal here, but let’s not forget that Aznar has recently signed on as a founding member of a European Friends of Israel, in the face of the disastrous repercussions of the Gaza Freedom flotilla raid. The reason for this is fairly clear: on the issues of Israel and on Iran’s nuclear program the current movement is dedicated to promoting an independent policy for the country. While it is likely they would take a very different tone and approach to both issues, the current movement will likely do little to satisfy the interests of the Israel Lobby and neoconservatives for a pro-Israeli and subservient Iran. With the PMOI as the only reasonably well-established alternative, these groups have thrown their lot in with them. If the confrontation with Iran becomes military in nature, it seems likely that the PMOI will be (again) touted by these interests as the “leadership in exile” for any regime-change scenario.
This is not entirely new. During the Bush years, the PMOI sought alliances with the neoconservatives in the US, with a number of bipartisan congressmen acting as intermediaries to call for their removal from the terrorist list, and to advocate for their recognition as a legitimate Iranian opposition group. They are now at it again, with a new move to give legitimacy to the group launched just days ago, with a number of congressmen signed on. In the past, highly-placed neoconservatives such as Richard Perle have attended PMOI-related events and spoke positively of the group. And the group has done much to complement the interests of these allies: they were instrumental in building up the case for Iran’s nuclear program, and have supplied intelligence they claim to have gathered from inside Iran to bolster the case for an arms program — it’s unclear how accurate or legitimate this intelligence may be, but there are certainly shades of the famous WMD intelligence relating to Iraq in all of this.
Among most prominent activists in the Iranian opposition, the PMOI is rarely remembered kindly, when they are bothered to be remembered at all. Already discredited among most Iranians for their alliance with Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war, and despised by Kurds everywhere for willfully participating in Hussein’s genocidal campaigns against them, the Mojahedin have come to be seen by most Iranians as an embarrassing aberration in the political landscape. While the Islamic Republic has a virulent hostility towards the group, most secular left or reformist Iranians also will have nothing to do with the group and reject its inclusion in any coalitions to oppose the regime. In Europe and the US, during anti-regime demonstrations supporting the current movement, the appearance of PMOI flags or leaflets often led to standoffs and even fights among the demonstrators, with PMOI agents far outnumbered. They now stand all alone in the Iranian scene, with their only true supporters drawn from the Israel Lobby and the margins of US and European politics.
What is so strange is that there they had once acted as the vanguard of revolutionary activity and as a synthesis of leftist and Islamist idealism in the first years of the post-revolutionary period. However, in exile they have been transformed into a political irrelevancy, made worse by their adoption of cult-like policies to maintain discipline in their ranks. The group demands of the rank-and-file a troubling adoration of the figure of Maryam Rajavi, the nominal leader of the group, relying on systems of regular debriefing and self-criticism which are mandatory for all members. Furthermore the group exerts control of many aspects of members’ personal lives, including in matters of marriage, divorce and parenting. Given what they have become, any idea of their resurgence as a valid player in Iranian politics strikes me as one of the most terrifying possibilities for Iran’s future. Their placement on the US terrorism list was clearly a political gesture during Clinton’s administration, but many Iranians find them more troubling for reasons other than the terrorist acts they have carried out.
Rather than hear me describe these, I think it’s better to let the PMOI represent themselves — in videos they have produced. Also, here, and here and here (and you can find many more just by clicking on the related videos or googling the group’s other videos). It baffles the mind that the PMOI are so blind as to how out-of-touch their fascistic aesthetics are with the ideals of Iran’s democratic opposition and their supporters. Check out the videos linked above, produced by the PMOI to publicize "celebrations" and other group events held in their base in Iraq, and tell me if you don’t find a chill creeping down your spine… Echoes of Triumph of the Will, or the Dear Leader…
Bizarrely, the PMOI continues to enjoy support even among some on the US left. The Huffington Post, for example, offers a forum to two of the group’s more active US propagandists, Ali Safavi and Alireza Jafarzadeh. It seems likely that we’ll be hearing more about them once again as the talk of a military confrontation grows. It’s no surprise that the neocons and Israel’s most steadfast supporters are also now openly backing the PMOI.

Mondoweiss.net By Kamran

July 1, 2010 0 comment

Iran

Tehran rally blasts French terror support

Hundreds of Iranians have gathered outside the French embassy in Tehran to protest a decision by France to allow a demonstration by the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) in a Paris suburb. Families of Victims condemn the French/Zionist support for terrorist group

The families of those killed in MKO terrorist attacks shouted slogans and carried banners, denouncing the group’s murderous acts and the French government’s support for their hostile measures against Iran, IRNA reported on Monday.

The families of the victims also condemned France for sheltering the members of the terrorist group, urging the Paris government to hand them over to authorities in Iran.

The Tehran protest, which took place on the anniversary of a 1981 deadly attack by the MKO in the Iranian capital, was organized by an Iranian association representing the families of those murdered by the terrorist group.

The 1981 MKO attack resulted in the death of 70 high-ranking Iranian officials of the Islamic Republic Party, including the country’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti.

The decision by Paris to allow the MKO to hold the gathering comes while the Iraq-based group is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community.

Founded in the 1960s, the MKO has masterminded a slew of terrorist operations in Iran and Iraq, killing thousands of people and wounding many more.

The group is particularly notorious for taking sides with executed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during the 1980-1988 Iraqi-imposed war on Iran.

June 29, 2010 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq 's Function

MKO and Grasping for Support in a Very Wrong Way

In the 1920’s Joseph Stalin, in the spirit of socialization, had plans for justice, democracy and peace. He envisioned a classless society. But his narrowness of perspective combined with an ethnically and politically diverse population became a major challenge in building unity and Former members of MKO have compared its leaders to Stalin consensus. Slavery flourished. And ultimately what became central during his tenure was the building of his cult of personality. His totalitarian leadership, perpetual lying, and deception eventually ushered in the near-destruction of Soviet Russia. Eventually Stalin had no support from the people he so desperately wanted to save.

More than half a century has passed since the world has known of Stalin’s terror and his cult of personality. But beware: There is similar potential retribution toward the country of Iran as the dissident group, Mujahedin el Khalq (MKO) attempts to use the media to sell a message that they exist in the name of justice, democracy and peace. Former members of the group have compared its leaders to Stalin. [1]

Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the MKO, like Stalin, is also a cult of personality and her justice-democracy-peace campaign is deceitful. Her cheap catch-words for the organization’s ultimate goal of overthrowing the Iranian regime—and this goal has been in place for more than three decades—are wrong. In the MKO’s grand effort to achieve power in Tehran, they have stepped up their focus on trying to erase a weird, violent, and bloody past while increasing effort to legitimize their current fiction.

Sam Dealey, a journalist, who in January 2010 became Editor in Chief for the Washington Times, specified eight years ago how the MKO managed to win the support of mainstream US politicians. Dealey’s well researched claim is that “the [MKO’s] political representatives in the U.S. have worked hard to repackage the group as a legitimate dissident organization fighting for democracy in Iran—whitewashing its record and duping our leaders.” [2] And Dealey’s statement still applies today because currently the same political representatives—the crisis mongers of the MKO—are challenging the West’s policy towards Iran while feeding the public mendacity. After a 30-year track record of fabrication, the group’s latest headliner sham proclaims that Iran has nuclear capabilities. But fortunately some US politicians who are aware of the MKO’s track record of producing false and misleading information, along with weapons inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), are very suspicious about what MKO leadership says. [3]

After all, in 2003, ten MKO members (two of whom died) staged a bizarre show of solidarity towards their leader, Maryam Rajavi, by setting themselves on fire in cities around Europe. Before the self- immolations even took place, Sam Dealey wrote, “Despite its violent history, the People’s Mujahedin would like to gain international legitimacy as Iran’s ‘government in exile.’ Its immediate goal is to get its name off the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations; to that end, it now purports to support a host of democratic ideals, from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to freedom of religion and the free market. It has even abandoned its revolutionary flag — composed of a Koran verse, a sickle, and a Kalashnikov assault rifle — for that of the former shah, whom they worked to depose.” [4]

As early as 1997, TIME ran an in depth article about the group, citing the State Department’s report that the MKO “has Marxist leanings,” and “few democratic tendencies.” TIME’s journalists, observed that “[MKO] troops wear no insignia of rank, live communally and receive no pay. They have taken a vow to remain celibate until Iran is freed. And all express near fanatical loyalty to the woman they hope to install as the next President of Iran: Maryam Rajavi.” Michael Eisenstadt, an Iran expert at the Washington Institute on Near East Policy asserts that there is an unhealthy cult of personality around Maryam and Massoud Rajavi. He writes, “If they were to achieve power, it is unlikely they would give it up. The [MKO] are simply not a viable alternative to the current regime because of their ties to Iraq.” [5]

Most recently, Ali Safavi, the MKO’s primary lobbyist in Washington DC, and also a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post, is making a huge effort to deviate the public’s attention away from the group’s strange cult practices and history of terror. He’s pushing the message that the MKO is a legitimate option for the future of Iran, and opportunistically maintains that Maryam Rajavi is the "most prominent Iranian opposition leader" who "has called on the West to support democratic change in Iran by the Iranian people and their organized resistance movement.” He urges President Obama to “strengthen Iran’s democratic opposition,” and “set his sights on a strategic Iran policy by removing obstacles on the path of democratic Iranian opposition groups,” and also criticizes the US administration’s smart and cautious policy towards Iran, claiming that “the track of [US] pressure is insufficient and engagement is problematic.” [6] In short Safavi is suggesting that the Obama administration can and should close dialogue and stop diplomacy with Iran, and then remove the MKO from the State Department’s list of Designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Safavi’s ideal proposal would make way for a terrorist cult group to replace the Iranian government. But Savafi’s proposal must convince more than just the Americans.

Iranians all over the world will admit that the MKO has no support among the Iranian nation. The MKO turned against their own people, as they sided with Saddam Hussein during the war with Iraq. In 2000, Wilfried Buchta of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and author of Who Rules Iran? The Structure of Power in the Islamic Republic, analyzes the formal and informal power structures in the Islamic Republic and assesses both the future of the reform movement and the prospects for peaceful change in Iran. [7] Buchta asserts, "The large majority of Iranians inside and outside the country reject the MEK [MKO] because of its support for Bagdad during the Iran-Iraq war and for its [continued] alliance with Saddam. As a result it has only a small dwindling power base in Iran." [8]

As Iran remains in the spotlight, for the sake of public edification, the reality of the MKO must be exposed. The details of the horrors committed by MKO—either against Iranians or their own members in the organization—were the direct result of their terrorist and destructive cult-like nature. Be aware that their campaign is strong, and that MKO opportunists, with their shifty arrangement of excuses regarding past terrorist activities, believe that the seat of political power will be handed to them by the West—if they can persuade the unaware powerful. They simply exist in a very wrong way. They will vitally need the support of the Iranian people—and this is what they mostly lack.

References:
[1] Peterson, Scott. "Inside a Group Caught Between Three Powers." Christian Science Monitor. December 31, 2003 <http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1231/p10s01-woiq.html>.
[2] Dealey, Sam. "A Very, Very Bad Bunch." National Review. March 25, 2002 <http://old.nationalreview.com/25mar02/dealeyprint032502.html>.
[3] Collier, Robert. "US Gleans Facts on Iran From Debatable Source: Nuclear Arms Allegation Derived in Part From Rebel Group’s Data". San Francisco Chronicle. Sunday, October 26, 2003 <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2003/10/26/MNGPE2JMGO1.DTL>.
[4] Dealey, Sam. Ibid
[5] Michael Serrill and Edward Barnes, "Armed Women of Iran." TIME MAGAZINE. Monday, April 21, 1997 <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,986213,00.html>.
[6] Safavi, Ali. "Iran Crisis Needs a Firm Response". Huffington Post. May 11, 2010 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ali-safavi/iran-crisis-needs-a-firm_b_572045.html>.
[7] Buchta, Wilfried. "Who Rules Iran? The Structure of Power in the Islamic Republic". Brookings Institution Press. 2000 <http://www.brookings.edu/press/Books/2000/who_rules_iran.aspx>.
[8] ibid p. 116

By Mazda Parsi

June 29, 2010 0 comment

Iran

Anti-MKO rally to be held in front of French Embassy

Families of Victims condemn the French/Zionist support for terrorist group

The families of those killed in terrorist attacks by the Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) are to stage protests in front of the French Embassy in Tehran.

The rally will be held in protest to the French government’s decision to allow the terrorist group to hold a demonstration in a Paris suburb on Saturday.

Iranian demonstrators will gather in front of the French Embassy on Monday, June 28, which marks the anniversary of a deadly terrorist attack by the MKO in 1981 in Tehran.

The 1981 MKO attack resulted in the death of 70 high-ranking Iranian officials of the Islamic Republic Party, including Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti..

The decision by Paris to allow the MKO to hold the gathering comes while the Iraq-based group is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community.

Founded in the 1960s, the MKO has masterminded a slew of terrorist operations in Iran and Iraq, killing thousands of people and wounding many more.

The group is especially notorious for taking sides with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during the 1980-1988 war Iraqi-imposed on Iran.

June 28, 2010 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization members' families

News of the MKO captives’ families

Rajavi forces Mojahedin Khalq members in Camp Ashraf to attack their families

Following the exposure of many dreadful facts from within MKO (Rjavi cult) by the former members in front of a gathering of reporters and local officials outside Ashraf garrison in Iraq and also following the Paris conference in support of the families of the captive members and particularly after the enlightening speech of Ms Batul Soltani there, some brainwashed elements of Rajavi cult stood opposite the families on Thursday from 11:30 am local time and started threatening and insulting them using strong loudspeakers.

The families and the former members who realize the situation of the people inside Ashraf garrison who have continuously been subject to mind manipulation and psychological indoctrination for many years and find Massoud Rajavi the only sole responsible for all the hardships and troubles they are facing with, kept their calm and tried to tell them sincerely and kindly that they only wish to visit their loved ones whom they have not seen for nearly two decades.

The photos of this incident would be presented in near future.

June 28, 2010 0 comment

France

Open letter to the Minister of Justice, Ms. Michèle Alliot-Marie

13 pl Vendome
75042 PARIS Cedex
Paris, June 17, 2010 Ms. Michèle Alliot-Marie, Minister of Justice

Ms. Michèle Alliot-Marie, Minister of Justice

Dear Ms. Alliot-Marie,
We are victims of violations of human rights in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). This cult organization is headed by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, who currently resides at Auvers-sur-Oise in France.

We, the victims of the PMOI, were able to escape from Camp Ashraf, where we were prisoners for years, and today we are living in freely in Europe and have already filed a complaint against Mrs. Rajavi in various Western courts.

We thank Mr. Bernard Kouchner, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, who has always stressed that the People’s Mojahedin organization is a terrorist organization in which human rights are violated and which is a personality cult.

Taking into account the self immolations, carried out on the streets of France on 17 June 2003 by members of the PMOI in order to intimidate the French judiciary after the arrest of Maryam Rajavi, and collaboration of the cult with Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq who left the trace of several crimes in Iraq and Iran and, the terrorist operations admitted by the PMOI inside Iran and the long wait of the families of the Camp Ashraf residents for several months behind the closed doors of the camp, and the obligation to monitor constantly the organization in order to prevent the repetition of terrorist acts, please review our complaints and resume the trial of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi which will reveal the hidden side of this group and crimes committed against the interests of the Iranian people.

We want above all to, if we can, to help the youth of our country to understand the nature of the PMOI.

Thank you for consideration of this our plea.

Signatories:

1.Abas Sadeghi/Germany
2.Rana Samadzadeh Aghdam/Sweden
3. Maryam Ahmadi/Sweden
4. Hossein Samadzadeh Aghdam/Sweden
5. Ariya Abdollahi/Norway
6. Javad Abolhosseini/Netherlands
7. Alireza Bashiri/Norway
8.Batool Maleki/Switzerland
9.Massoud Jabani/ Netherlands
10.Mohammad Hossein Sobhani/Germany
11. Hadi Shams Haeri/Netherlands
12. Noshin Bashiri/Norway
13. Tovartan Babakhani/Netherlands
14. Tamin Abdollahi/Norway
15. Rabeae Shahrokhi/Sweden
16. Hashem Payro/Norway
17.Hamid Yazdanfar/Norway
18Jafar Ahmadi/Norway
19.Maryam Taheriyan Pajoh/Sweden
20.Mehdi Ahmadi/Sweden
21.Omid Ahmadi/ Sweden
22.Massoud Khodabandeh/England
23. Ayob Kord Rostami/Canada
24.Farshid Ahmadi/Sweden
25. Farid Armideh ,The son of Aliakbar Armideh/Sweden
26. Saeed Armideh ,The son of Aliakbar Armideh/Sweden
27.Mitra Yosefi/Sweden
28. Naser Rezvani/Sweden
29. Farshid Nazari/Norway
30. Farzad Farzinfar/SWeden
31. Nima Parniya/Norway
32. Anne Singleton/England
33. Saeed Khodabakhsh/Canada
34. Parvin Haji/Canada
35. Fereshteh Hosseini/Denmark
36. Parya Dabiryan/Greece
37. Hassan Faraji/Sweden
38. Omid Ariyapoor/ Norway
39. Faramarz Afshari/Greece
40. Elham Norouzi/Canada
41. Soheyla Norouzi/Canada
42. Babak A/France
43. Alireza Nasrollahi/France
44. Mostafa Mohammadi/Canada
45. Shan Kord Rostami/Canada
46. Marlen Kord Rostami/Canada
47. Bahareh Nikbakht/France
48. Hassan Piransar / France
49. Hamed Sarrafpour/France
50.Alireza Nabavi/Sweden
51. Anika Nabavi/Sweden
52.Sara Nabavi/sweden
53.Rohi Aslani Sweden
54.Zahra Makari/Sweden
55. Kenar Jasem Ali/Netherlands
56. Horiyeh Mohammadi/Canada
57.Shirin Aghvami/Sweden
58. Zari Aghvami/Sweden
59. Mehri Nasiri/Sweden
60. Gholam Shirali/Norway
61. Habib Khorami/Netherlands
62. Marziyeh Gonjeshki/ Netherlands
63. Mahbobeh. Hamzeh /Canada
64.Narmin Jasem Ali/Netherlands
65. Zahra MOhammadi/Netherlands
66. Mohammad mohammadi/Canada
67. Morteza Mohammadi/Canada
68.Hamid Tavana /Netherlands
69. Mohammad harati/Netherlands
70. Tol Malavi
71. krigoriyan
72. Mohammad ellami
73. Khalil Taghavi/Netherlands
74. Mina Taghavi/Netherlands
75. Karim Haghi / Netherlands)
76. Khaled Taghavi/Netherlands
77. Zaghik Babakhani/Netherlands
78. Hamid Balfan/Netherlands
79. Maryam Jahanfard/Netherlands
80. Mohammad Karami/France
81. Javad Firozmand/France
83.Mehdi Sojodi/Germany
83. Mehrdad Sagharchi/scandinavia
84. Ali Jahani/ Germany
85. Majid Rohi/Denmark
86. Parvin Jafari/Denmark
87.Roya Haratipour/Norway
88.Bashir Hamdardzadeh/Sweden
89. Javid Hosseini/Greece
90. Mohammad Satari/NOrway
91. Jalil Hasimi/DEnmark
92. zayd Rahmanpour/Norway
93. Ashraf mohammadi/Norway
94. Hamid Balfan/Netherlands
95. Noor Dara/Netherlands
96. Soheyla Behboodi/Germany
97. Nasrin Behboodi/Netherlands
98. Kazem Hosseini/Netherlands
99.Maryam Farokhi / sweden
100. Amir Movasaghi/Germany
101. Edvard Tormado/Germany
102. Armineh Tormado/Germany
103. Behzad Alishahi/Netherlands
104. Nahid Amiri/Netherlands
105. Alireza Mirasgari/Germany
106. Mohsen Abaslo/Austria
107. Alireza Naghashzadeh/Germany
108. Elham Kakavand/Netherlands
109. Ali Akbar Rastgo/Germany
110. Majed Dara/Netherlands
111. Noryeh Dara/Netherlands
112. Nona Abdollahi/Netherlands
113. Ali Taghavi /Netherlands
114. Mehdi Fadayee/Germany
115. Khaled Taghavi/Netherlands
116. Yorik Ebrahimiyan /Germany
117. Farideh Barati/Netherlands
118. Mahbobeh Barati/Netherlands
119. Arash Moghadam/Netherlands
120. Batool Soltani
121. Armin Seraj/Netherlands
122. Kardo Dara/Netherlands
123. A Abkhaziyan/Germany)
124. Narineh Artesh/Germany
125. Ali Zirak/Netherlands
126. Sara SAdeghi/Germany
127. Bahadoor Khorami/Netherlands
128. Jafar Gonjeshki/Denmark
129. Jamshid Charlang/Germany
130. Ali Sheykhi/Netherlands
131. Hesam Sheykhi/Netherlands
132. Reza Sadeghi/Belgium
133. Eman Vaseti/Netherlands
134. Khalil Vaseti/Netherlands
135. Faramarz Pashayee / Canada
136. Mohammad Nabi Soleyman Nejat/Canada
137. Khoshnam Hesami/Canada
138. Hassan Saberi/Canada
139. Mehrzad Zardoshtiyan /Netherlands
140. Ghodrat Hamidi/Canada
141. Hasheh Mirza/Netherlands
142. Ershak Naghdali/Netherlands
143. Ebrahim Manaf/Netherlands
144. Sava Manaf/Netherlands
145. Amir Atefeh/Netherlands
146. Sanaz Dara/Netherlands
147. Saeed Soltanpour/Canada
148. Mahnaz Alavi/Netherlands
149. Christin Karkhaziyan/Germany
150. Habib Asadollahi/Germany
151. Millad Ariyayee/Germany
152. Ali GHashghavi/Germany
153. Shadi Doosti/Netherlands
154. Hassan Haghi/Netherlands
155. Mostafa Rahmani/Germany
156. Amir Movasaghi/Germany
157. Saeedeh Jabani/Netherlands
158. Maryam Vaseti/Netherlands
159. Hossein Ghanbari/Finland
160. Mansour Nazari/France
161. Hossein Naghdi/Germany
162. Mohammad Razzaghi/France
163. Nader Naderi/France
164.Yahya Haghjo/Sweden
165. Faramarz Niksefat/Denmark
166. Sepideh Aref/France
167. Dr. Farzad Rahnama/Carolina, USA
168. Mohammad Allavi/France
169. Shiva Mostafavi/France
170. Mehran Taghiabadi/France
171. Jamshid Peyvasteh/Netherlands
172. Mehrdad seyyedian/ Norway
173. Eshrat Fallah / Norway
174. Amir Taherloo / Sweden
175 . Shiwa Mostafavi / France
176. shokoufe Bayat /Sweden
177. Fateme Soleymani / Norway
178. Ali Mirzayi / Norway
179. Ashraf Amrolahi / Sweden
180. Ahmad Nooraei / Germany
181. Zohre Shams / gemany
182. Heydar Ghadiri /

June 27, 2010 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization members' families

Iranians in Iraq’s Diyala call for release of relatives held in MKO Camp Ashraf

Text of report by Lebanese Al-Manar TV

[Video report by Adel al-Fayyad]
Families of Iranians detained in Ashraf Camp of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization [MKO] have staged a sit-in in the Iraqi governorate of Diyala. The protesters called on the Iraqi government and the international community to free their relatives from the hell they are living in.

[Begin recording]
[Al-Fayyad] Dozens of Iranian families staged a sit-in in front of the Ashraf Camp in Diyala Governorate to protest being denied the chance to meet their family members who are detained by the MKO. The families waiting at the entrance of the camp called on the Iraqi government and humanitarian organizations to help them meet their family members in an atmosphere free from surveillance, eavesdropping, and interference by the MKO members.

[Zumurruda Amini, mother of a detainee, speaking in Persian with voice-over translation into Arabic] I have a son detained in the camp; his name is Ghulam Rida. I have not seen him in years. I have waited a long time to see him, but it has been in vain. Help me to see him.

[Al-Fayyad] These families live in difficult humanitarian conditions as their elderly men were scorched in the heat of the sun and the mothers were shedding tears for longing to meet their children. Other families carried photos of their sons and banners that condemn the repressive practices of the MKO leaderships, and they called on the international community to help their children out of what they described as MKO’s hell.

[Qudurat Sadiqi, father of a detainee, speaking in Persian with voice-over translation into Arabic] I am tired of making appeals. I have endured the hardships of the journey to meet my son, but this criminal organization has stopped me from seeing him.

[Zahrah K’abi, from the residents of the Ahvaz] My son was 25 years old when he left home one day to Abadan to bring the car and he never returned. Two years later, my daughter, who was a doctor, was in contact with him and she left home. Later we found a note in one of her books bidding us farewell and saying that she is going to join her brother.

[Al-Fayyad] Tribal leaders in Diyala Governorate stood by their brothers to deal with this tragedy and called on the Iraqi Government to expel the organization, which they described as terrorist.

[Muhammad Jasim, one of the tribal leaders of Tamim Tribe in Diyala Governorate] We must urge the Iraqi government, the new parliament, and the UN Security Council, the non-aligned countries and the Arab League to drive the MKO out of our country. They are occupying our lands. The MKO is a cancerous cell in our country. We are have been hurt by it.

[Al-Fayyad] Some of the families who came from the Islamic Republic of Iran to see their children but did not succeed in doing so said that the Iraqi government must take appropriate action to pressure the MKO, which has violated human rights and international charters by detaining their children for many years. Adil al-Fayyad is reporting for Al-Manar Channel from Ashraf Camp in Diyala Governorate

[Video shows families of Iranian detainees protesting]

June 27, 2010 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization members' families

Letter to the Director General of the ICRC (182 signatories)

Director General, Mr. Angelo Gnaedinger,

International Committee of the Red Cross
We are the signatories to the statement of the seminar in “support for the families of victims of the Rajavi cult in Camp Ashraf, Iraq” which took place on the 19th of June 2010 in Paris.
19 avenue de la Paix
CH 1202 Geneva

Dear Mr Gnaedinger,
We are the signatories to the statement of the seminar in “support for the families of victims of the Rajavi cult in Camp Ashraf, Iraq” which took place on the 19th of June 2010 in Paris.
Our aim is to put pressure on the leaders of the Rajavi cult (Mojahedin Khalq Organisation) to allow visits between the captives in camp Ashraf and their families, as one of the most basic human rights for any captive person.

These families, after years not being able to travel to Iraq and years of uncertainty about the fate of their children, now have had the chance to travel to post-Saddam Iraq in order to discover the situation of their loved ones held captive in Ashraf garrison. It is now over 4 months that they have been picketing outside the gates of the camp in the harsh conditions of the desert, without much in the way of facilities, hoping to visit their loved ones.

Although the right to have visitors is one of the accepted rights for any prisoner, it is unfortunate that the leaders of the Rajavi cult block any attempt at reunion and meeting between these captives and their old and tired mothers and fathers. They have announced, in their own cult jargon language, that any contact with family members is considered as a sin.
It is with regret that we must announce that the situation is so bad that after four and a half months of picketing not only has the aim of meeting their loved ones not been achieved, but the leaders of the Mojahedin Khalq have constantly harassed these parents using abusive and threatening language against them. On some occasions, physical attacks on the families have also been reported.

Dear Sir,
Documents and evidence of the violent history of abuse of human rights by the cult of Rajavi (Mojahedin Khalq) clearly shows that during the past two decades, the leaders of the cult have forbidden any kind of affection or love between family members and have considered it as a sin and a punishable crime. The cult members are expected to only show affection and love to the leader solely.

Rajavi, using the opportunity provided by the fallen dictator of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, has used the past two decades to create an atmosphere inside camp New Iraq (formerly Ashraf) in which any marriage, friendship, writing letters, exchanging photos, using telephone, meeting and chatting or any relation between parents and children or between siblings or other relatives has been forbidden and even thinking about it would have resulted in severe, violent punishment and suppression.

We call on all international bodies as well as all relevant governments. We ask specifically from your good self to intervene in a purely humanitarian role and convince the leaders of Mojahedin Khalq to allow free visits between the families and their children outside the walls of camp Ashraf in the presence of representatives of the ICRC and put an end to this hardship and misery.

Signatories:
1.Abas Sadeghi/Germany

2.Rana Samadzadeh Aghdam/Sweden

3. Maryam Ahmadi/Sweden

4. Hossein Samadzadeh Aghdam/Sweden

5. Ariya Abdollahi/Norway

6. Javad Abolhosseini/Netherlands

7. Alireza Bashiri/Norway

8.Batool Maleki/Switzerland

9.Massoud Jabani/ Netherlands

10.Mohammad Hossein Sobhani/Germany

11. Hadi Shams Haeri/Netherlands

12. Noshin Bashiri/Norway

13. Tovartan Babakhani/Netherlands

14. Tamin Abdollahi/Norway

15. Rabeae Shahrokhi/Sweden

16. Hashem Payro/Norway

17.Hamid Yazdanfar/Norway

18Jafar Ahmadi/Norway

19.Maryam Taheriyan Pajoh/Sweden

20.Mehdi Ahmadi/Sweden

21.Omid Ahmadi/ Sweden

22.Massoud Khodabandeh/England

23. Ayob Kord Rostami/Canada

24.Farshid Ahmadi/Sweden

25. Farid Armideh ,The son of Aliakbar Armideh/Sweden

26. Saeed Armideh ,The son of Aliakbar Armideh/Sweden

27.Mitra Yosefi/Sweden

28. Naser Rezvani/Sweden

29. Farshid Nazari/Norway

30. Farzad Farzinfar/SWeden

31. Nima Parniya/Norway

32. Anne Singleton/England

33. Saeed Khodabakhsh/Canada

34. Parvin Haji/Canada

35. Fereshteh Hosseini/Denmark

36. Parya Dabiryan/Greece

37. Hassan Faraji/Sweden

38. Omid Ariyapoor/ Norway

39. Faramarz Afshari/Greece

40. Elham Norouzi/Canada

41. Soheyla Norouzi/Canada

42. Babak A/France

43. Alireza Nasrollahi/France

44. Mostafa Mohammadi/Canada

45. Shan Kord Rostami/Canada

46. Marlen Kord Rostami/Canada

47. Bahareh Nikbakht/France

48. Hassan Piransar / France

49. Hamed Sarrafpour/France

50.Alireza Nabavi/Sweden

51. Anika Nabavi/Sweden

52.Sara Nabavi/sweden

53.Rohi Aslani/Sweden

54.Zahra Makari/Sweden

55. Kenar Jasem Ali/Netherlands

56. Horiyeh Mohammadi/Canada

57.Shirin Aghvami/Sweden

58. Zari Aghvami/Sweden

59. Mehri Nasiri/Sweden

60. Gholam Shirali/Norway

61. Habib Khorami/Netherlands

62. Marziyeh Gonjeshki/ Netherlands

63. Mahbobeh. Hamzeh /Canada

64.Narmin Jasem Ali/Netherlands

65. Zahra MOhammadi/Netherlands

66. Mohammad mohammadi/Canada

67. Morteza Mohammadi/Canada

68.Hamid Tavana /Netherlands

69. Mohammad harati/Netherlands

70. Tol Malavi

71. krigoriyan

72. Mohammad ellami

73. Khalil Taghavi/Netherlands

74. Mina Taghavi/Netherlands

75. Karim Haghi / Netherlands)

76. Khaled Taghavi/Netherlands

77. Zaghik Babakhani/Netherlands

78. Hamid Balfan/Netherlands

79. Maryam Jahanfard/Netherlands

80. Mohammad Karami/France

81. Javad Firozmand/France

83.Mehdi Sojodi/Germany

83. Mehrdad Sagharchi/scandinavia

84. Ali Jahani/ Germany

85. Majid Rohi/Denmark

86. Parvin Jafari/Denmark

87.Roya Haratipour/Norway

88.Bashir Hamdardzadeh/Sweden

89. Javid Hosseini/Greece

90. Mohammad Satari/NOrway

91. Jalil Hasimi/DEnmark

92. zayd Rahmanpour/Norway

93. Ashraf mohammadi/Norway

94. Hamid Balfan/Netherlands

95. Noor Dara/Netherlands

96. Soheyla Behboodi/Germany

97. Nasrin Behboodi/Netherlands

98. Kazem Hosseini/Netherlands

99. Ali Ghashghavi/ Germany

100. Amir Movasaghi/Germany

101. Edvard Tormado/Germany

102. Armineh Tormado/Germany

103. Behzad Alishahi/Netherlands

104. Nahid Amiri/Netherlands

105. Alireza Mirasgari/Germany

106. Mohsen Abaslo/Austria

107. Alireza Naghashzadeh/Germany

108. Elham Kakavand/Netherlands

109. Ali Akbar Rastgo/Germany

110. Majed Dara/Netherlands

111. Noryeh Dara/Netherlands

112. Nona Abdollahi/Netherlands

113. Ali Taghavi /Netherlands

114. Mehdi Fadayee/Germany

115. Khaled Taghavi/Netherlands

116. Yorik Ebrahimiyan /Germany

117. Farideh Barati/Netherlands

118. Mahbobeh Barati/Netherlands

119. Arash Moghadam/Netherlands

120. Batool Soltani

121. Armin Seraj/Netherlands

122. Kardo Dara/Netherlands

123. A Abkhaziyan/Germany)

124. Narineh Artesh/Germany

125. Ali Zirak/Netherlands

126. Sara SAdeghi/Germany

127. Bahadoor Khorami/Netherlands

128. Jafar Gonjeshki/Denmark

129. Jamshid Charlang/Germany

130. Ali Sheykhi/Netherlands

131. Hesam Sheykhi/Netherlands

132. Reza Sadeghi/Belgium

133. Eman Vaseti/Netherlands

134. Khalil Vaseti/Netherlands

135. Faramarz Pashayee / Canada

136. Mohammad Nabi Soleyman Nejat/Canada

137. Khoshnam Hesami/Canada

138. Hassan Saberi/Canada

139. Mehrzad Zardoshtiyan /Netherlands

140. Ghodrat Hamidi/Canada

141. Hasheh Mirza/Netherlands

142. Ershak Naghdali/Netherlands

143. Ebrahim Manaf/Netherlands

144. Sava Manaf/Netherlands

145. Amir Atefeh/Netherlands

146. Sanaz Dara/Netherlands

147. Saeed Soltanpour/Canada

148. Mahnaz Alavi/Netherlands

149. Christin Karkhaziyan/Germany

150. Habib Asadollahi/Germany

151. Millad Ariyayee/Germany

152. Ali GHashghavi/Germany

153. Shadi Doosti/Netherlands

154. Hassan Haghi/Netherlands

155. Mostafa Rahmani/Germany

156. Amir Movasaghi/Germany

157. Saeedeh Jabani/Netherlands

158. Maryam Vaseti/Netherlands

159. Hossein Ghanbari/Finland

160. Mansour Nazari/France

161. Hossein Naghdi/Germany

162. Mohammad Razzaghi/France

163. Nader Naderi/France

164.Yahya Haghjo/Sweden

165. Faramarz Niksefat/Denmark

166. Sepideh Aref/France

167. Dr. Farzad Rahnama/Carolina, USA

168. Mohammad Allavi/France

169. Shiva Mostafavi/France

170. Mehran Taghiabadi/France

171. Jamshid Peyvasteh/Netherlands

172. Mehrdad seyyedian/ Norway

173. Eshrat Fallah / Norway

174. Amir Taherloo / Sweden

175 . Shiwa Mostafavi / France

176. shokoufe Bayat /Sweden

177. Fateme Soleymani / Norway

178. Ali Mirzayi / Norway

179. Ashraf Amrolahi / Sweden

180. Ahmad Nooraei / Germany

181. Zohre Shams / gemany

182. Heydar Ghadiri /

June 24, 2010 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization members' families

Statement of the gathering in Paris

Statement of the gathering in Paris in support of the families of the victims of Rajavi cult in Camp Ashraf Iraq

With faith in the generosity of people, with the aim of rejecting all kinds of violence, terrorism and Statement of the gathering in Paris in support of the families of the victims of Rajavi cult in Camp Ashraf Iraq cultish behaviours and with the aim of helping the families of the victims of Rajavi cult in Camp Ashraf – Iraq, more than 200 human rights activities are participating in this gathering on the 19th of June 2010 in Paris.

No doubt, in the present circumstances, Iranian society inside and outside the country is in need of peace and awareness more than ever. We see it as our duty to create an atmosphere in which these could be achieved and therefore we reject all kinds of violent ideologies as well as all kinds of cultish beliefs. We believe that dialogue and interaction between different ideas could and should be the way forward. The people gathered here include human rights groups and activists, experts in cults and anti terrorism, as well as families of the victims who have joined us in this gathering.

As the majority of the participants in this gathering are ex members of Mojahedin Khalq Organisation, the following statement is designed to be the focal point for the future co-operation between the signatories as well.

1- We believe that the Mojahedin Khalq Organisation led by Mr. Massoud Rajavi and Mrs. Maryam Rajavi during the past three decades with their insistence on the two parameters of Ideology and Military, have changed the organisation in to a religious-terrorist cult. The brainwashing of the members is aimed at diminishing any resistance to the lifetime leadership of Rajavi and his wife Maryam. The leader of the cult was engaged in mercenary work for Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq, and in return Saddam allowed the leadership and members of Mojahedin Khalq to be transferred to Iraq where the leadership had all the tools needed to suppress the critics in the known atmosphere of Saddam’s era. Massoud Rajavi and Maryam Rajavi tortured their critics in solitary confinement and if this would not lead to the desired result and the resistance against them persisted, then in co-operation with the Secret Services of Saddam’s regime they would send their victims to the prisons of Iraq, one of which was the infamous Abu Ghraib prison, from where ten surviving inmates (ex MKO members) are available here to testify in any international court.

2- Massoud and Maryam Rajavi, in order to deceive and legitimise their activities and to garner support for the Mojahedin Khalq Organisation, portray themselves s the only democratic alternative to the Iranian regime. This is an organisation which, according to an overwhelming number of European diplomats working in Iran, enjoys no support among the people inside Iran. We ask all international policy makers and politicians and governments not to use such terrorists as Massoud and Maryam Rajavi as tools for short term benefits. This is no more than giving ransom to terrorists when practically all the people of Iran have complaints against them.

3- We the supporters and signatories to this statement warn that after the fall of Saddam Hussein, the leaders and high ranking members of the Mojahedin Khalq have escaped to European countries, taking with them whatever money and documents were given to them by the fallen regime before its collapse. They are using known faces in European parliaments as lobbyists to whitewash their history of terrorism and long-lasting cooperation with Saddam’s dictatorship, and either reject the abundant documents available or to try to legitimise them with excuses. The ideological, organisational, financial and military relation between the MEK and the Baath Party of Saddam is not a secret. Films and documents of the joint criminal activities of Rajavi and Saddam are available and presentable to any court.

4- We announce our support for the French government’s correct move on 17th June 2003 that resulted in the arrest of Maryam Rajavi and over 160 high ranking members of this terrorist cult. We also denounce and deplore the order by the leadership of the cult which ended in self-immolation of some cult members in the streets of Paris in June 2003. We thank the foreign minister of France Mr. Kouchner for his stance against terrorism and announcing this group to be a terrorist group. We ask the French Judiciary to expedite consideration of the complaint files filed by the victims of the Mojahedin Khalq against the leaders of the cult

5- We support the Iraqi government in its attempt to remove the Mojahedin Khalq forces from their country and deplore the various plots of the MEK leadership to prevent the Iraqi government from carrying out its responsibilities; plots which have already resulted in the death of some members. The responsibility for the outcome of such plots, which aim to prevent the transfer of members to wherever they want to go, is solely on the shoulders of the leaders of the cult.

6- Maryam Rajavi who resides in Auvers-sur-Oise in France is working on the concept of keeping the structure of the terrorist cult intact if and when the Iraqi government does remove the MEK forces from Iraq. She wants to have the whole organisation transferred intact to one of the European countries, most probably France or one of the Scandinavian countries. She is planning to re-start her terrorist activities from this new HQ in the heart of Europe. We, the participants of this seminar warn that the presence of the Mojahedin Khalq terrorist organisation is a serious threat to the safety of the people in European countries.

7- The participants in this seminar believe that many victims of Rajavi cult in Ashraf camp once they are freed will need psychological care and attention as they have been exposed to very long term psychological manipulation. For this reason we ask the ICRC, UNHCR, Médecins Sans Frontières, etc to visit and interview every one of the captives separately and evaluate their situation and needs.

8- We condemn the continuous harassment, character assassination and physical attacks carried out by the Mojahedin Khalq Organisation on the direct order of Massoud and Maryam Rajavi in Europe against ex members and critics of the cult as well as Iranians abroad who ask simple questions from the leadership of this organisation.

9- We believe that political and social struggle can not and should not undermine humanitarian feelings and family bonds. Therefore we ask the Mojahedin Khalq leaders to respect these feelings and let the families of those captive in Camp Ashraf visit their loved ones without the presence and harassment of cult leaders. We also call on these leaders to cancel the order of ‘no marriage’ inside the Mojahedin Khalq immediately.

10- Concerning the above paragraph, we ask the governments of Iraq, the US and European governments to become more active concerning the situation of the people trapped in Camp Ashraf by the Mojahedin Khalq leaders; to take more responsibility and act to secure the minimum of human rights, including the right of family visits, right to access to news and media and the right of choosing their future.

At the end we announce to the families of the victims picketing in front of camp Ashraf who have been trying to visit their loved ones for the last four months:

1- Your loved ones are our brothers and sisters. We have suffered alongside these people for years and surely we will stand with you until the day that they are released.

2- We assure you that all the interviews and whatever you hear from them on tapes are made under direct pressure of the organisation and we assure you that their hearts beat for you and that it is only your unconditional family love that can overcome the effects of these pressures.

3- We will do our best to bring your voice to the attention of international society and we adore your resilience and patience.

4- We are as aware as you are about the threats posed to the residents of camp Ashraf. We are afraid of what may possibly happen and will try our best to prevent it by bringing it to the attention of the outside world. We also ask you to neutralise these treats by your presence and vigilance.
On behalf of the Signatories

The conference committee
Paris, June 19, 2010

June 24, 2010 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization members' families

Families’ picket in front of Camp Ashraf continues

Today’s Coverage from Iraqi media

A group of Iranian families have been picketing in front of Camp New Iraq (formerly Ashraf) demanding access to their children who have been kept inside.
The organisers of this picket say that there are a large number of their children inside the camp but the leaders of the Mojahedin Khalq Organisation do not let them meet their families. The families emphasised that they have no choice except to sit in front of the gates of the camp until they are given access to their loved ones.
They are also asking all international humanitarian organisations as well as the United Nations office to engage [with the problem] and provide them with access to their children.

Al Mashregh, June 21, 2010
The Iraqi Ambassador in Tehran announced that Iraq will not let anyone use its soil to attack neighbouring countries. Press TV reported Mohammad Majid Al Sheikh as saying: “Iraq will not allow the Mojahedin Khalq Organisation, or any other armed group, use its soil to carry out attacks against Iran”. Iraqi authorities have repeatedly demanded that the members of this organisation leave Camp Ashraf and Iraqi territory. The problem is, no other country in the world is willing to accept them”.

Addustour, June 21, 2010
The Iraqi government rejected allegations that it has decided to attack Camp Ashraf. An official said that: “The Government of Iraq is serious and working towards expelling the Mojahedin Khalq from the country, but fighting in not a solution. We will resolve this problem through peaceful means. The future Government of Iraq has the responsibility of ending the presence of this group in Iraq. During its presence [in Iraq] this organisation has been deeply involved in security issues and has been a helping hand to the late regime in suppressing the people of Iraq.

Bader, June 21, 2010
Political and social personalities and heads of Iraqi tribes condemned the Mojahedin Khalq Terrorist group’s blockage of meetings between the members and their families. The head of Khalis province said: “A delegation of local officials and tribal personalities have travelled to the camp in order to put pressure on the leaders of the Mojahedin Khalq Organisation to let families reunite with their children on companionate and humanitarian grounds but it is unfortunate that this initiative as many previous ones failed”.

Daraddustour, June 21, 2010
Link to the original news (Arabic)
http://www.daraddustour.com/التفاصيل/tabid/94/smid/427/ArticleID/21804/reftab/58/Default.aspx

June 23, 2010 0 comment

Newer Posts

Older Posts