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The fear surrounding Camp Ashraf leaders

It’s been over two months since families of Camp Ashraf residents started a strike at the gates of Camp Ashraf, but they could not manage to visit their loved ones without the presence of the Camp authorities in an open atmosphere. The leaders of Mujahedin Khalq destructive cult, as always, prevent the members from an ordinary family visit which is the absolute right of any prisoner. The reason of such a prohibition lies in the recent process of defection of the cult during the last six years. Since the invasion of coalition forces and the fall of Saddam Hussein a large number of Ashraf residents defected from the group, returned to Iran or went to Europe where some of them succeeded to reveal the nature of MKO in european organizations such as European Parliament. This kind of consequence of MEK members’ defection caused the cult’s leaders a strong feeling of fear which has turned in to a phobia. For MKO’s leader Massoud Rajavi, a good critic is a dead critic. He is terrified by the domino effect of members’ defection which will end in his group’s collapse. This extreme fear might explain the fact that MKO leaders are not assured of the members’ belief in the group’s ideology.

Ashraf residents have long been kept in an isolated place, deprived from any love or affection. The cult-like relationships under too much police-like pressure have left them in a condition where they feel wondering in a fatal life without any reliable, kind shelter. Their natural need for family love is not dead but it is like a flame ready to set a big fire.

As the families at Ashraf gates declared in their response to Mrs. Batoul Soltani’s message, they are everyday witnessing Ashraf residents who stealthy wave hands to them smiling but because of their organized systematic fear of defecting from the group, they are not able to leave the Camp. Needless to say that Rajavi’s promise for victory and freedom cannot impress the members any more but the fear of outside world that Rajavi portrays for them, maintains them in the cult.

The message of Mrs. Batoul Soltani, former member of the cult’s Leadership Council, for Ashraf residents clarifies for them that their fear is baseless and as she describes "the essential element for a human life is living in a free community" .The members are indoctrinated and manipulated day and night and they are told that the families waiting outside Camp Ashraf are agents of Iranian Intelligence Ministry .However, the claim is paling since the old mothers and fathers awaiting near Ashraf ,suffering physical weakness are paying the price of Camp authorities’ despotism.

The least achievement of such a strike can be coming to the conclusion that Rajavi’s ideology is filled with defects which leads his cult to such a complex fate in which the leaders have to heighten their deceitful manipulative techniques in order to keep the members in the Camp.

By: Mazda Parsi

April 28, 2010 0 comment

Former members of the MEK

Mr. Shaygan escaped the MKO terror group and joined the families

Mr. Alamdar Shaygan escaped the MKO terror group on 24th April, 2010 and joined the families behind the Ashraf gates.

Mr. Alamdar Shaygan who had been forced to spend 22 years of his life behind the bars of Rajavis’ cult managed to break away from this notorious cult by reaching himself to the main gate of Ashraf Garrison and joined the families behind the Ashraf gates.

Hereby we congratulate all genuine human rights activists and especially Mr. Shaygan’s family on his release.

April 27, 2010 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization

Are Ashraf Residents “Protected Person”?

On Friday, April 16, 2010 the news published on the MKO websites mentioned prior clashes in Camp Ashraf. Once again, the MKO is using a propaganda campaign to spread an expired pretext—that MKO residents are "Protected Persons" under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Previously the MKO used this argument following the 2009 clash in which the MKO clearly exhibited their deep rooted terrorist tactics by using Molotov cocktails and rocks to execute hostilities against the Iraqi forces led by the legitimate Iraqi government.

The claim made by the MKO about their "Protected Persons" status and whether or not the status applies to Camp Ashraf residents is up for debate. Article Four of the Fourth Geneva Convention defines "Protected Person" as “those who, at a given moment and in any manner whatsoever, find themselves, in case of a conflict or occupation, in the hands of a Party to the conflict or Occupying Power of which they are not nationals.” Article Four furthers that, “Nationals of a State which is not bound by the Convention are not protected by it.

Nationals of a neutral State who find themselves in the territory of a belligerent State, and nationals of a co-belligerent State, shall not be regarded as protected persons while the State of which they are nationals has normal diplomatic representation in the State in whose hands they are.” [1]

Earlier in the decade, in July 2004, In July 2004, the MKO forces in Ashraf were declared by the US to be ‘protected persons’ under the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 (rather than military personnel under the Third Geneva Convention), because they had not been belligerents during the Iraq War. The Fourth Geneva Convention protects civilians who, as the result of an international armed conflict or of occupation, find themselves in the hands of a country of which they are not nationals. It states that in no circumstances shall a protected person be transferred to a country where he or she may have reason to fear persecution for his or her political opinions or religious beliefs. In the case of occupied territory, the Convention continues to apply for a year after the general close of military operations, and partially thereafter if the occupying power continues to exercise the functions of government. The occupation of Iraq formally ended on 30 June 2004. [2]

In addition, the ICRC noted that, due to UNSCR 1546, the conflict in Iraq would no longer be a war between states; hence, the Geneva Conventions would no longer apply. It argued that customary international humanitarian law govern non-international conflicts; hence, continuing to apply the Geneva Conventions to the MKO would be legally incorrect.[3]

On February 9th, 2010 in a debate in the House of Lords of the UK Parliament on the case of Camp Ashraf, Iraq, Barroness Falkoner of Margavine asked her colleague if the Minister will confirm that these people are not non-protected persons under the Geneva Convention. Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead responded [to] the question by insisting that "any claim to protected persons status by Camp Ashraf residents under the Fourth Geneva Convention has ceased to apply. That view is shared by the United Nations. The Camp leadership have been given that information. [4]

Notwithstanding, the MKO still tries to deceive public opinion by the fake claim that Ashraf residents are “Protected Persons” under the Geneva Convention, and yet all significant international bodies believe that the rule does not apply to MEK members anymore.

[1] "International Humanitarian Law – Treaties & Documents." International Committee of the Red Cross. ICRC, 2005. Web. 29 Apr 2010. <http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/full/380?opendocument>.

[2] Thorp, Arabella. " In Brief: Camp Ashraf and the Geneva Conventions”. LIBRARY HOUSE OF COMMONS: Standard Note 20 MAR 2009, page 2. Web. 29 Apr 2010.

[3] Goulka, Jeremiah, Lydia Hansell, Elizabeth Wilke, and Judith Larson. "The Mujahedin-e Khalq in Iraq: A Policy Conundrum." RAND NATIONAL DEFENCE RESEARCH INSTITUTE (2009): P.21. Web. 29 Apr 2010.

[4] Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead, Baroness Falkner of Margravine. "United Kingdom Parliament.” Parliamentary Business. UK Parliament, Tuesday, 9 February 2010. Web. 29 Apr 2010. <http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200910/ldhansrd/text/100209-0001.htm>.

By: Mazda Parsi

April 21, 2010 0 comment

Missions of Nejat Society

Foreign journalists visit Nejat Society members in Shiraz

Following the arrival of a number of foreign journalists and reporters to cover the report on the conference to address nuclear disarmament held by IRI in Tehran, they traveled to Shiraz on April 20th, 2010 a number of victims of Mujahedin’s terrorist activities and some members of Nejat Society Shiraz branch visited the journalists.

During the visit, the families of victims of Rajavi’s cult offered their testimonies describing the crimes MEK committed against them. They asked the journalists to voice the Iranians’ call to protest against Western support for MEK. They condemned the West’s double standard towards the terrorist MEK Cult.

The members of Nejat Society described the manipulative techniques used by the cult to deceive their family members or their ex-comrades in Camp Ashraf. They seriously condemned the MEK’s crimes and the Western politicians who support MEK.

During the visit the journalists were invited to watch some videos on MEK crimes which impressed them seriously so that they offered their sympathy to those victims of terror .

April 21, 2010 0 comment

MEK Camp Ashraf

Report on the MKO attack on the families on Thursday night

Report on the Mojahedin Khalq (MKO, MEK) attack on the families on Thursday night 14th April, 2010 in front of camp New Iraq (formerly Ashraf)

This report is a short, logical addition to the mountain of statements which the MEK have issued in recent days. It has been published to further apprise those interested in this issue of what has taken place. Report on the Mojahedin Khalq (MKO, MEK) attack on the families

What was it that the MEK was after when they attacked the families?

One basic fact shouts louder than all others and that is, that for 66 days the MEK leaders have refused all access to the victims inside the camp. The MEK leaders did not let the families see their children even for a minute. It is also clear that the MEK began the attack and that they had planned and coordinated it with all the MEK’s systems ready to play their parts, in particular the MEK’s relentless propaganda system – resulting in the mountain of statements.

The families have been waiting for many weeks in front of the gates of the camp to see their children. The MEK leaders have obdurately refused them access. The families became so desperate to make contact that they started speaking over loud speakers so they would be noticed by the people inside. Their motivation has been to try to let their children know that they are there.

From last week, the families decided to expose the activities of the MEK leaders by reading out loud the interviews of Ms. Batool Soltani (a former member of the Leadership Council). The MEK leaders objected and complained to the Iraqis that the families are insulting them over the loud speakers. As evidence they referred to the Soltani interviews. The leader of the Iraqi security forces made enquiries with the families, who then submitted a copy of the Soltani interviews to him in Arabic.

The MEK have opened a so-called hospital in front of the gates which they call “The Hospital No. 2”. Only the trusted leaders and members of the cult are allowed to go in and out of this place. Even so, the reading aloud of the Soltani interviews has had some effect on them, and some have been communicating with the families with their hands and with various other signals, and in this way have actually encouraged the families to continue and not to give up.

In an inspired move, the families had the idea to broadcast the sound of laughter of a two year old child into the camp. The members have not heard such a voice for decades. It made some of them, who were allowed to be near the gate, smile. This was also noticed by the MEK leaders and has shaken them.

Three days ago, Mr. Iman Yeganeh Khorasani from Mashad, after 22 years, drove his lorry (which he works with) up to the gates of the camp and handed himself over to the Iraqi security forces. He later came to visit the families.

Iman told Iran-Interlink, “Just before the Norooz (New Year) holidays the leader of section one started insulting the families. I asked, ‘Why are you insulting the families’? He told me, ‘They have been sent by the Iranian regime’. I said, ‘Even if this was true, this would not give you reason to swear at these people. Would you swear at them even if my family was among them?’ At that point I told them that I refuse to stay there".

Iman continued, “They started to arrange a few brainwashing sessions for me, but when they realised that I still refused to stay, they pleaded with me, ‘Stay until the end of Norooz because you have given your word and you have to keep your promise".

“A few days before Norooz they started to extract new promises from the members again to say that they would stay until next Norooz. I had no choice but to run away from the camp. But the problem is that the leaders do not allow anyone to go anywhere by themselves, or do anything by themselves, or even walk around in the camp".

He described his escape; “Yesterday, I was sitting in the lorry waiting for the second person to arrive. In the few minutes that he was delayed, I took my chance. I started the lorry and drove to the Iraqi post and asked for asylum and protection.”

Iman told Iran-Interlink, “The MEK leaders have been brainwashing the members against the Iraqis so they are really afraid of approaching the Iraqi officers. But I was even prepared to be killed by the Iraqi army rather than staying one more day in Rajavi’s garrison. When I realised how kind and human the Iraqis are, I was really ashamed of myself.”

Since Iman’s escape, the Mojahedin no longer allow rank and file members to carry out any maintenance or service work. The leaders are now doing all the work. For example, the leaders of each section now sweep the outside pavements themselves at nights.

The MEK is facing a serious problem in keeping its members people under control. They are doing everything to stop them hearing the voices of the families, and to stop them from escaping.
After Iman’s escape, the leaders increased the checkpoints inside the camp and have implemented restrictive laws to prevent people from escaping.
The leaders now know that they can no longer control every disaffected person – and there are many, many of them in the camp. And they now know that the families have no intention of moving from the gates of the camp.

It is this deadlock which forced the MEK to try to repeat the scenario of July 2009 and this time blame the families for the violence.

On Thursday morning they started clandestinely placing loud speakers about 100 meters away from the camp gates. From about 10.30 pm that day, they brought together around 200 people who started swearing at the families using the very powerful loud speakers. They then began to try to incite the families who were behind the closed gates to respond with violence.

Clearly, this kind of provocative attack aimed at the 11 family members outside the gate was intended to somehow engage the Iraqi security forces and provoke violence so that the MKO could cast itself in the role of victim – that is, 3500 people the victims of 11 families. At about 1.30 in the morning, the families, acting on the advice of the Iraqi security officers, retired to their makeshift beds. Without warning, two MEK women members appeared from out of nowhere with the intention of launching an attack on them with knives. Fortunately, they were intercepted by the Iraqis and were prevented from starting any violence or carrying out their assassination attempt.

The MKO continued to swear at the families over their loud speakers until 3.00 am. Then they broadcast an audio tape of the MEK military march ‘Victory’ on a loop, and threatened that they will do more and worse things to the families if they do not leave the gates of the camp.

On Friday morning, the families again gathered at the camp gates with good moral. That night they hung coloured bulbs and lights all over the gate of the camp celebrating the “victory” of the MEK leaders the night before. Their slogan, which they chanted that day, was, “You continue your war and victories and we will continue our persistence with singing and celebrating”.

Of course, as expected, the MEK is claiming that the Iraqi forces and the families have attacked them. It is interesting that, while they continue to film every second, day and night, they have not presented a single clip of film to show this alleged attack. Iran-Interlink did, however, record some film that day, which will be broadcast in due course. This film will first be presented to the UN office, the Iraqi Judiciary and relevant human rights organisations.

The knife wielding Mojahed woman has been identified and the families concerned are already in the process of submitting a law suit against her.

The families report that they are very happy to have news that Mojahedin leader Maryam Rajavi has been writing to the UN, so that someone there will be forced to take notice of their problems. They are waiting eagerly to see why it is that the UN does not take any action against the MEK’s hostage-taking terrorist leaders who are backed by some murderers in America and Israel.

The families have a clear message for all: They will not leave without their children. They also warn that other families are also on their way.

The families also wish to thank all the people, across the globe, who have given them support and encouragement.
Iran Interlink, at the gates of camp New Iraq (Ashraf)

April 19, 2010 0 comment

UK: No evidence of intimidation or harassment in the Camp Ashraf

Iraq: Camp Ashraf
Column 604

Asked By Lord Maginnis of Drumglass
UK: No evidence of intimidation or harassment in the Camp Ashraf
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to defend the human rights of Iranian refugees at Camp Ashraf; and with what other countries or agencies they are involved in those efforts.

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead): My Lords, officials at our embassy in Baghdad and at the Foreign Office follow developments at Camp Ashraf closely. We have raised Camp Ashraf with the Iraqi Prime Minister, the Human Rights Minister, the Minister of Internal Affairs and, recently, my ministerial colleague Ivan Lewis with the Foreign Minister, to remind them of the need to deal with the residents in a way which meets international humanitarian standards. We are in contact with international partners and UN agencies. Camp Ashraf is part of a sovereign and democratic Iraq and is primarily an issue for the Iraqi authorities to address.
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: Do they care that currently Camp Ashraf residents are being denied food, medicine and winter fuel, and live under a real threat of being moved by Nouri al-Maliki’s troops-

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: I can confirm that we consistently remind the Iraqi Government of all their international obligations on this matter. The Iraqi Ministers confirm that the Government are in discussions with the camp leadership and that they will treat the people in the camp in line with international humanitarian law. There is absolutely no evidence of the kind of intimidation and harassment which the noble Lord has described. Indeed, the access to food and medicines, to clean water and medical supplies, clearly exists. There have been some disruptions to supplies entering the camp, but I understand that all those have been resolved.

Lord Archer of Sandwell: Does my noble friend accept that to deliver the refugees into the hands of the Iranian regime would, for some of them at least, be the equivalent of a death sentence? Does she further accept that the attack on Camp Ashraf by Iraqi forces in July, leaving 11 dead, establishes that it cannot safely be left in Iraqi hands? Is this not a matter that we should discuss with our American allies?

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: I can assure my noble and learned friend that these matters are regularly raised by our ambassador and others with the United Nations and with the authorities in Iraq. It is the long-stated wish of the Iraqi authorities to close the camp and transfer the residents, but they have given us clear assurances, most recently at a meeting on 27 January, that they will do that in line with international and humanitarian law and that no Ashraf residents will be forcibly transferred to a country where they have reason to fear persecution or where substantial grounds exist to believe that they could be tortured.

Lord Waddington: My Lords, does the Minister agree that it is very important that we should be clear about the responsibility for this matter? Is it not right that back on 13 April last year, our ambassador in Baghdad called on the Iraqi Minister to seek new assurances that the residents of Ashraf would be treated humanely? Was that not an acknowledgement of the British Government’s responsibility for the welfare of the people of Ashraf? Indeed, how can the British Government avoid their responsibility for the welfare of the people of Ashraf when, first, they were a party to the invasion of-

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: I thank the noble Lord for the questions. I can assure him, as I did in my Answer to the noble Lord, Lord Maginnis, that Iraq is a sovereign and democratic state and, as such, has that responsibility. It has never been the case that the UK has responsibility for the residents in the camp. However, as I have said on a number of occasions, the UK works with the United States and the United Nations to ensure that the rights of the residents of Camp Ashraf are protected.

Baroness Falkner of Margravine: My Lords, will the Minister confirm that these people are not non-protected persons under the Geneva Convention? If that is correct, do the Iraqis have the right to deal with them within internal Iraqi constitutional law? Have the results of the inquiry come out yet?

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The view of the UK Government is that with the formal end of hostilities and the transfer of responsibility for the camp to the Iraqi authorities, any claim to protected person status by the camp’s residents under the fourth Geneva Convention has ceased to apply. That view is shared by the United Nations. The camp leadership have been given that information. As for the inquiry into the violence that occurred in July, we asked for a review of the events that took place. The ambassador met the Minister responsible on 27 January and reminded him of the need to send a copy of the report. We are still waiting to receive it. I will urge the ambassador to press again for a response from the Government.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: My Lords, how does the Minister square her statement to the House that there is no evidence that the residents of Camp Ashraf are at risk with the statement from Amnesty International that they are at risk of,
"arbitrary arrest, torture or other forms of ill-treatment, and unlawful killing"?

Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: My Lords, I can only reiterate what my noble friend Lord Brett said in the answer that he gave to that question. We have no evidence of intimidation or harassment in the camp. I am aware of the Amnesty International report. The recent UN mission reported that the camp is calm and that the residents have access to food, water and medical supplies. We have no evidence of intimidation, harassment and the other issues raised by Amnesty International.

House of Lords – 9 February 2010

April 17, 2010 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

Families of terror victims’ response to the claims made by MKO

Families of terror victims’ response to the claims made by one of Mojahedin Khalq (MKO, MEK, Rajavi cult) members in American website

Last week one of the well-known American news websites (Huffington Post) aiming to put more pressure on Iranians published an article written by one of the MKO so-called Parliament Families of terror victims' response to the claims made by one of Mojahedin Khalq members in American website members, Ali Safavi. The writer of this text has tried his best in order to distort the realities and to acquit Mojahedin-e Khalq from its terrorist background.
This MKO members not only introduces his organization in this paper as a democratic organization, but also claims that the terrorist designation of MKO by European countries and EU as well as United states of America is the result of US deal with Islamic Republic of Iran.

In this regard Justice Supporters Association, comprising the families of 16000 victims of terrorism wrote a letter to the president of the above-mentioned news website in order to reject all the claims made by the MKO member and to reveal all the facts and realities.

This society mentions its positions on this issue as follows: "Iran’s Justice Supporters Association comprising the families of 16000 terrorism victims of Iran, considering the article written by Mr. Ali Safavi published on April 3, 2010 in your news website, decided to write this letter to you to clarify the facts, which have been concealed and deviated by the writer.
Our Association hopes that your sense of equitability in running the Huffington Post news website and your intrinsic attachment as a journalist to reveal and discover the realities, would lead to the publishing of this letter in your website. It would be up to the discerning readers to judge.

First, we would like to ask Mr. Safavi and other parliament members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq The documents related to the assassination of 12000 Iranian citizens, who the leaders of organization call them betrayers, traitors, clergymen…, still remain and their families do not suffer from Alzheimer. Organization that when did you attend in a parliamentary election and how have you been selected? Has your organization ever had an election that now you call yourselves the representatives or the members of this parliament?

Mulling over weird fancies and having an approach resulted from illusion of conspiracy, Mr. Safavi has completely changed and distorted the background of his organization in a way that makes any wise man completely amazed and wondered.

Forgetting all the activities of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization in the past 40 years, he still tries to prove that there is not any document or evidence on the world and every one suffers Alzheimer regarding with the viewpoints and activities of MKO. Although he believes that, the terrorist designation by EU members and US was just an accusation and all this has happened due to a political game, but in fact there are too many evidences and documents proving that this organization has committed many terrorist crimes in the past forty years.

The documents related to the assassination of 12000 Iranian citizens, who the leaders of organization call them betrayers, traitors, clergymen…, still remain and their families do not suffer from Alzheimer. Mr. Safavi and MKO organization leaders perceived all their victims political or military men. It must be mentioned that the number of political and military men who have been assassinated by this organization like Iranian president, Prime Minister and Iran’s Judiciary Chief is also considerable. In order to remind some of these realities, we rely on the 2007 report by the US Department of State:

"In 1981, MKO leadership attempted to overthrow the newly installed Islamic regime; The MKO instigated a bombing campaign, including an attack against the head office of the Islamic Republic Party and the Prime Minister’s office, which killed some 70 high-ranking Iranian officials, including Chief Justice Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, President Mohammad-Ali Rajaei, and Prime Minister Mohammad-Javad Bahonar."

It’s worth to mention that seeking a way to acquit itself from the terrorist activities, Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization presently attempts to distort the history. However, anyone knows that under the reign of Pahlavi and before 1979 revolution, having a leftist-imperialist ideology, the organization had assassinated several American and Iranian counselors and citizens in Iran. In this regard we would invoke the report presented by US Department of State and National Defense Research Institute (RAND) on the activities of the organization before 1979 revolution:

" In 1960s, Mojahedin-e Khalq was one of the most violent political movements opposing Pahlavi regime. During 1970s, MKO assassinated American military and non- military personnel working on the defensive projects and supported the 1979 US embassy seizure."

In addition, the report adds:

"At the outset of US invasion on Iraq the MKO was listed as a hostile target. This decision was based primarily on the MKO’s history of working with Saddam’s military, including its alleged participation in the suppression of the Shia and Kurdish uprisings of 1991, as well as the many violent attacks that it had conducted against Iranian targets in recent years."

Definitely Mr. safavi has already read these various reports and his leaders also are aware of them. In fact, maybe their awareness of these reports has forced them to distort the history and try to accuse Iran of political game. Mr. Safavi knows better than every one else that the terrorist background and activities of Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization and its attached organizations like "National Council of Resistance" or "National Liberation Army of Iran" are such dark and abominable that other Iranian foreign opposition groups consider them terrorist organizations just like Taliban and Al-Qaeda.

Just before the terrible attacks of September 11, 2001 by Al Qaeda operatives, which was followed by the celebrations of Masoud and Maryam Rajavi and Saddam Hussein in Iraq, they were acting as Saddam’s especial army for killing Iranian and Iraqi children. How is it possible that the same group and the same leaders today are talking about the rights of Iranian people, democracy or women’s rights?

Mr. Safavi, don’t you think that now you have to explain what you mean by ‘democracy’?

Is your democracy the same as what Stalin and Hitler spoke about?

Stating the German intelligence report from the Federal Office we leave the judgment to the readers:" MKO is a repressive, sect-like and Stalinist authoritarian organization, which centres around the personality cult of [MKO leaders] Maryam and Masoud Rajavi. According to the orders of the leader, all the members of the organization are bound to complete obedience. This is done by some sort of brain washing and psychological processes that make the members to forget their past and follow the order of the leader without hesitation."
Well, what do the leaders of MKO mean by the rights of women, Mr. Safavi? Is the definition of women rights something like the definition of democracy? One more time let’s refer to the German Federal Office report:

" the members of the organization had to divorce their wives and become isolated from their families in order that they could obey the orders without any excuse. Their children also after being divided according to their age and gender were sent to Europe to be kept in orphanages."

Mr. Safavi, himself, was among the 100 persons who had to get divorced after the ideological revolution of Masoud Rajavi.

Has this German governmental organization really had some collusion with Islamic Republic of Iran for issuing the report?

Is it possible to claim that any organization that reveals the facts about your previous or current thoughts or activities has some sort of blackmailing relations with Iran and its government?

Committing illegal acts like money laundering, human trafficking, self-immolation, having cultic approaches along with terror and terrorism are all the realities, which have been published in the US and some European countries’ reports. Some of them are included here:

The report presented by US Department of State and National Defense Research Institute (RAND) in this regard asserts:

"MKO has always been considered as an organization with closed relations inside and an inward-looking cult but by the time its leaders and most of the members moved to Paris it turned to a more wicked issue. In Paris, Rajavi instituted what he termed an “ideological revolution” in 1985, which, over time, imbued the MKO with many of the typical
characteristics of a cult, such as authoritarian control, confiscation of assets, sexual control (including mandatory divorce and celibacy), emotional isolation, forced labor, sleep deprivation, physical abuse, and limited exit options."

For coalition forces, the MKO’s cult behavior and questionable recruiting practices are significant insofar as they affect both the daily operations at the camp and the strategic disposition options available to the group. The leadership is unlikely to cooperate with policies that would undermine its ability to exert direct control over its members. Indeed, Human Rights Watch reports that the MKO long ago instituted a complicated process to retain members who expressed a desire to leave, which included a “trial,” forced confessions of disloyalty, and even torture.

According to U.S. law, providing any type of support—political, financial, or otherwise—for an FTO (Foreign Terrorist Organization) is a federal crime. Moreover, many of the MKO’s fundraising activities have been proven to be fraudulent (for example, claiming to be soliciting funds on behalf of Iranian refugees, child welfare, or medical services for children). The MKO has also been linked with a range of money-laundering activities."

In the same line, the German intelligence report from the Federal Office explains:

" due to the past illegal money-laundering activities of the Council, Mojahedin-e Khalq is under prosecution in most European countries and Germany."

The German High Court closed several MKO safe houses, “foster” homes, and compounds after an investigation revealed that the MKO fraudulently collected money in social welfare benefits for MKO children sent to Europe.

These are just some paragraphs of the official reliable reports on MKO. Notwithstanding Mr. Safavi considers all of them a big deal in favor of Iran.

He tries to distort the history and show off an innocent image of an organization, which has a long history of terrorism and violence. In the past 30 years according to Masoud Rajavi’s own confessions and statements, this terrorist group has assassinated about 12000 innocent Iranian people from whom more than 80 percent were civilians. Nevertheless, the history would always keep the realities and truths and the MKO leaders can never distort them.

April 15, 2010 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

Reality Check: MKO Suppressive Pearl Operation

[MKO’s extensive propaganda campaign for spreading faked information about the true nature of its terrorist destructive cult had set for a new purification project in order to remove dirty stains of terrorist activities and atrocities of their cult from the historical memory of public opinion. To achieve such an unlikely goal, Ali safavi, the group’s henchman, does too much effort to write a series of posts denying the crimes committed by his organization.
Nejat Society, in turn, views it as essential to enlighten the minds about the claims made by MKO remnants.]

Among the long list of Mujahedin Khalq Organization’s terrorist activities, one may find Iraqi Kurd’s suppression by MKO due to its absolute obedience to its former financial and military sponsor Saddam Hussein.

In his serial postings ,Rajavi’s remnant, Ali Safavi has tried hard to deny MKO’s role in suppressing Iraqi Kurds’ uprising in 1991 and in order to cover their crimes against Kurds, Mujahedin claimed that they repelled the attack of Iranian forces to their bases and called the alleged anti-attack, ”Pearl Operation”.
Mr. Alimardan, the head of Workers’ Union in Iraqi province of Kirkuk said:” I and my family are the victims of MKO’s terrorist activities.”
Pearl (Morvarid in persain) is the name of a chain of mountains in the border of Iranian Kermanshah province and Kurdistan of Iraq, where the massacre of Kurds took place.
In 1991, there was the risk from the side of Iraqi opponents to Baath regime: Kurds in the North and Shiites in the South. The only force to oppose the oppositions in that region was MKO who was present in the absence of Saddam Hussein’s forces. MEK leaders knew that falling of Saddam Hussein; their main financial and logistic sponsor equals Rajavi’s removal. Through a radio message, Saddam Hussein asked the people in Northern areas to cooperate with Rajavi’s forces as well as Baath army and their disobedience would lead them to death. [1]

Rajavi in his turn promised Saddam that his group would fight the Kurds with their entire power. Then, through a message he declared:”Iranian soldiers, in Kurds clothes, are supposed to attack Mujahedin“ But when the members started to hesitate he stated:”IRI’s Pasdaran and YKT’s have allied to attack Mujahedin.[2]

In addition to various testimonies made by former members of the cult, Iraqi authorities, moved by their hatred towards MKO as Saddam Hussein’s mercenary force, have repeatedly asked for their expulsion from Iraqi territory. Mohammad Tofiq Rahim, an official of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan told Radio Liberty that his organization has documented evidence of Rajavi’s role [in suppression of Kurds]. He said that when the Kurds seized control of Northern region of Iraq with US assistance at the end of Gulf War in 1991, MEK cooperated with Iraqi army in retaking control of the city Kirkuk. Hundreds of the city’s residents were killed by MEK. “Every one in Iraqi Kurdistan knows that Massoud Rajavi cooperated with Mukhaberat [Intelligence Ministry ] and security forces of the regime of Saddam”, Rahim said .[3]

Mohammad Javad Al-Dorkhi, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq in Belgium and the European Union, clarifies that new Iraq has inherited a heavy legacy from the former dictatorship, which not only suppressed and crushed the Iraqi people and made hundreds of mass graves launched wars and invasions but left on the ground in Iraq a camp inhabited by a group of terrorists, mercenaries , who make up the military wing of MKO terrorists who were allied with the former regime and participated with his security forces in the brutal suppression and liquidation of Iraqi, Arabs and Kurds, during the popular uprising in 1991 after the failure of Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait.[4]

Ali Safavi pretended to have a huge support for MKO among Iraqi authorities and juridical officials; Once again he tries to accelerate his propaganda machine claiming to enjoy the support of thousands of Iraqi lawyers. The truth is that in September 2009 Iraq’s Supreme criminal court assigned to review crimes done by the former Iraqi Baath regime during the 1991 uprising and announced that it has received 5000 complaints filed against the regime and anti-Iran terrorist group, Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO).[5]

MEK’s vain effort to purify their dark history leads Ali Safavi to the claim that “it had never harbored the slightest bit of hostility toward Iraqi Kurds”.[6] As Al-Dorkhi states :” the Iraqi people are familiar with the strong relationship between MKO and the elements of the former regime and the coalition between them and the fateful military support and material submitted to it by the former system and they will never forget the blood of Iraqi children bas been lost at the hands of these terrorists and now the Iraqis insist on their right to bring them to trial and justice.[7]

There are many living eye-witnesses among Iraqi Kurds. Mr. Alimardan, the head of Workers’ Union in Iraqi province of Kirkuk said:” I and my family are the victims of MKO’s terrorist activities.” offering his sympathy for other victims of MKO, he expressed his hatred for these terrorists and Saddam Hussein. ”they committed numerous crimes against Iraqis so that many in Northern and Southern Iraq were killed and wounded by this group,” he said.[8]

In a meeting with Habilian Association, Iraqi tribal Sheikhs from Bagdad, Maysan and Babil insisted that “MKO’s propaganda that they are supported by Iraqi tribal leaders is totally a lie.”Sheikh Abu-hussein Ghadhban told Habilian that “Saddam Hussein used the group intentionally to suppress Iraqi nation”.[9]

Ali Safavi’s disinformation on Jalal Talebani, President of Iraq is the outcome of MKO’s declining situation in Iraq. He tried to demonize Jalal Talebani using faked allegations, since he knows that as the first official of Iraqi government Jalal Talebani is determined to expel MKO from Iraqi soil. “According to the Iraqi Constitution there is no place for terrorist groups in Iraq” Talebani said.[10]in fact one of the major pressure on the United States to round up the MEK[in 2003] and put them in a camp did not come from Iran; it came from Jalal Talebani [11]

According to Qobad Talebani,son of Jalal Talebani “Up until the fall of the regime, they [MEK] were part of and parcel of Iraqi military . And they were heavily involved in suppressing the Kurdish uprising of 1991.”[12]

Ordered by Saddam and carried out by Massoud Rajavi, the role of MEK in repressing the Kurdish revolt must have created serious problems within the organization. Many members have Kurdish roots. In addition, the PMOI clashed with Kurdish groups within the Iranian opposition, leading to more defectors and the further isolation of Massoud Rajavi.[13]

And finally the large-scale support for MEK by former Iraqi dictatorship for two decades only leaves a bad fame for these terrorists and proves that MKO is really a terrorist organization. The US Department of State boosts its credibility by labeling MEK as a foreign terrorist organization based on credible evidences.

By: Mazda Parsi

April 14, 2010 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

Reality Check: Understanding a terrorist organization, MEK

In another effort to purify MEK’s record, the group’s remnants published another article allegedly to “shed light on the provenance of MEK’s designation [1] as a terrorist organization. As always, the so-called article includes list of allegations, accusations to attack Islamic Republic and Western politic men, accusing former for alleged disinformation against MEK or the latter for appeasement policy towards Iran. However, the writer never tries to defend his organization for its terrorist label. He doesn’t present the least evidence to prove that his organization has not committed terrorist activities except in one place.

Thorough introductory paragraphs he claims that “MEK’s resorting to armed actions against military targets in Iran until summer of 2001 has been cited by some Western government agencies, including the US Department of State, as evidence to invite the designation of the group as terrorist”[2], although in fact more than 90% of their intended targets and almost 95% of their casualties have been Iranian civilians.[3]In 1972 MEK’s first terrorist operation took place in Tehran where they launched a bombing attack against an electricity factory which was not a military target. Since then, the group launched a countless number of terrorist operations against Iranian civilians especially after the Islamic Revolution. The list of MEK’s mortar attacks, bombings and assassinations has been already published in numerous occasions by various international, governmental or private institutes including defectors’ websites, US Department of state, RAND (National Defense Research Institute)…

Among MEK’s terrorist acts against civilians, the most crucial ones are “Attack on offices of General Motors in 1972, Bombing of offices of Oman Bank and Pan-American Oil and of gates of British embassy in 1974,suicide attacks targeting senior clerics in Tabriz, Khorasan, Shiraz and Rasht in 1981 and 1982,simultaneous raids on Iranian embassies in 13 countries in 1922,bombing of Imam Reza Shrine in 1994,Assassination of two former MEK members in 1996,bombing of Tehran Revolution Court in 1998,mortar attack at Chamran University of Ahwaz 2000, mortar attack on President Khatami’s palace in Tehran in 2000,mortar attack on residential housing complex in Tehran in 2000.[4]

In his effort to portrait his notorious organization as an important figure in Iran-West relations, Safavi calls his group “the biggest enemy” of Islamic Republic. He fails to consider that MEK’s deliberately targeted and planned sabotage operations against civilians and its bad fame due to collaboration with Saddam Hussein during the eight years of Iran-Iraq war, ends in the hatred of the majority of Iranians. Elaheh Hicks of Human Rights Watch says:” many, many Iranians inside Iran resent the MEK, the Iranian government actually benefits from having an opposition like this.”[5]

According to what criteria an organization will be considered “terrorist”?

“Terrorism “is in the most general sense, the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion. since 1994, the Unite Nations General Assembly has repeatedly condemned terrorist acts using the following political description of terrorism:” criminal acts intended or calculated to provoke state of terror in the general public or persons or particular persons for political purposes are in any circumstance unjustifiable, whatever the considerations of a political, philosophical, ideological, racial, ethnic, religious or any other nature that may be involved to justify them”[6]

Therefore, MEK’s use of violence against civilian targets should never be justified by its weird cult-like ideology. This is what Ali Safavi fears to discuss. He daren’t to deal with terrorism designation in nature because he and his ideological leader Massoud Rajavi have nothing, no evidence to defend their terrorist destructive cult for its numerous acts of terrorism. They are not able to prove that their terror label is invalid so they try to accuse the Islamic Republic instead of defending their group.

Also a less politically and emotionally charged, and more easily definable term for terrorism is “violent non-state actor”[7] this term covers the whole MEK’s activities since its foundation. The group has been always engaged in armed struggle and violent overthrow of Iranian regime, it has never been a governmental entity and its background had been blended a countless number of violent attacks against military or civilian targets (about 12000 deaths).

After Massoud Rajavi fled to France in 1981, his first decision was to change the name of notorious MEK (Mujahedin –e- Khalq) to NCRI (National Council of Resistance of Iran) which allowed the MEK to stay in Western political scene and not to be threatened as a terrorist organization. However, NCR was also added to Foreign terrorist organization list of Department of state in August 2003 and its office in Washington DC was closed and its assets were blocked.

Rajavi’s crimes against humanity do not end in Iran and against Iranian civilians, according to many documents, MEK had a longstanding alliance with former Iraqi dictator. They cooperated with Baath regime to suppress Kurds’ uprisings in Iraq in 1991. A lot of former members offered testimonies of Kurds suppression operation (Morvarid Operation) where Maryam Rajavi ordered members to “take Kurds under the tank and save bullets for Iranian soldiers”.[8]

Along with his deceitful propaganda campaign, Ali Safavi claims that Western policy toward Iran has failed and it is time for Obama administration to unite with his terrorist cult of personality. He fails to understand that the reality is that the world community especially Iranians, Iraqis and even Americans never forget the atrocities of MEK terrorist Organization and the threat of that destructive cult.

Endnotes:

[1]: Ali Safavi,Reality Check, Huffington Post,March31,2010.
[2]Ibid
[3]Charles Kent, Terrorist living among us, June 5,2009
[4]the Mujahedin khalq in Iraq,apolicy conundrum,RAND,August 2009.
[5] Charles Kent, Terrorist living among us, June 5,2009
[6]Wikipedia
[7] Ibid
[8]Kurds Suppression, Nejat Publications

By: Mazda Parsi

April 11, 2010 0 comment

Maryam Rajavi

MKO: People’s Friends or Foes

MKO’s terrorist cult published the news of Maryam Rajavi’s trip to Germany. Their website wrote:

On Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 Maryam Rajavi, president of NCR visits German MPs in the parliament. In its news report the website said: in a meeting held by a number of German parliamentarians, Maryam Rajavi asked them to work for change in EU’s policy towards Iran and to defend Ashraf …

Maryam Rajavi’s trip to Germany indicates Europeans double standards towards terrorist and violent groups. They endanger the security of their own countries by playing an illogic game with such groups. According to political principals and EU laws, any group or entity with a background of terrorist, violent acts against civilians should be boycotted for much political financial or spiritual support. However, the public opinion notice Mrs. Rajavi, the leader of one of The self-assigned president of NCR encourages Western powers to stop seeking diplomatic solutions and negotiations with Iran the most horrifying violent groups, traveling in Europe, visiting politic men of the so-called developed democratic countries, defending the activities and violent strategy of her cult of personality.

She asked German authorities to support her terrorist destructive cult and criticized them because they had already failed to support her group.

European politic men may not have enough information on the three-decade activities of MKO cult as an armed group that launched large-scale violent attacks against innocent civilians and assassinated thousands of people due to its ill-minded hatred towards humanity.

German authorities who met with Maryam Rajavi might have had no knowledge of MKO’s spying and mercenary role for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein as a strategic ally for the most inhuman regime through the history.

A question is, how can Maryam Rajavi claim to be a patriotic Iranian while she takes such a position against her own nation? While she speaks of weakening Iranian power just like the designer of Imperialism Henry Kissinger?!

Kissinger was the one who planned the massacre of people of Vietnam. According to a BBC report, he remarks on the west policy towards Iran:”You should not let Iran to fulfill its dream for the establishment of its empire in the region.” He does not respond to those who asked him to apologize for the atrocities he committed in Vietnam.

Maryam Rajavi calls the world to impose more sanctions against Iran … . The self-assigned president of NCR encourages Western powers to stop seeking diplomatic solutions and negotiations with Iran, instead she persuades them to impose more punishments against Iran.

The experienced American politic man Henry Kissinger, in his interview with German Eshpigel news agency, confessed that “the benefits to America and the West no more necessitate them to keep Iran’s sovereignty on its territory. A disintegrated Iran is better than a powerful, great Iran.”

The boundaries between illusion and reality should be enlightened for Mrs. Rajavi. The leaders of Mujahedin Khalq should make it clear if they are friends or foes of Iranian people.

By : Arash Rezaiee

April 10, 2010 0 comment

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