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Advisor to Iraqi PM: MKO presence illegal

A senior advisor to the Iraqi prime minister blasted the US and Europe’s staunch support for the anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), and said the terrorist group should be expelled from Iraq. Abdulhalim al-Zahiri ;senior advisor to the Iraqi prime minister

"Legally speaking, the presence of the MKO in Iraq under any title is against the law and they should be expelled from the country," Abdulhalim al-Zahiri said in a meeting with Seyed Mohammad Javad Hasheminejad, the secretary-general of Iran’s Habilian Association – a human rights group formed by the families of 17,000 terror victims in Iran.

Stressing that the US and Europe consider the MKO as a terrorist group, he said that they support the group fervently in a bid to use it as a leverage to pressurize Iran.

He said the MKO have misused the status quo in Iraq to expand their illegal and terrorist activities despite the fact that their main camp in Diyala province is surrounded by the Iraqi troops.

The MKO, whose main stronghold is in Iraq, is blacklisted by much of the international community, including the United States.

Before an overture by the EU, the MKO was on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations subject to an EU-wide assets freeze. Yet, the MKO puppet leader, Maryam Rajavi, who has residency in France, regularly visited Brussels and despite the ban enjoyed full freedom in Europe.

The MKO is behind a slew of assassinations and bombings inside Iran, a number of EU parliamentarians said in a recent letter in which they slammed a British court decision to remove the MKO from the British terror list. The EU officials also added that the group has no public support within Iran because of their role in helping Saddam Hussein in the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988).

The group started assassination of the citizens and officials after the revolution in a bid to take control of the newly established Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran’s new leaders in the early years after the revolution, including the then President, Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister, Mohammad Javad Bahonar and the Judiciary Chief, Mohammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks by MKO members in 1981.

The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.

The terrorist group joined Saddam’s army during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and helped Saddam and killed thousands of Iranian civilians and soldiers during the US-backed Iraqi imposed war on Iran.

Since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the group, which now adheres to a pro-free-market philosophy, has been strongly backed by neo-conservatives in the United States, who also argue for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.

Meantime, earlier media report said that the US is trying to convince Iraqi officials to relocate MKO members within Iraq.

Under the US plan, the approximately 3,400 residents of Camp Ashraf would be temporarily relocated within Iraq, farther from the border with Iran, a US State Department official announced.

The relocation would be temporary, the official said, with final settlement of the inhabitants in other countries.

That would not include the United States, the official said, "Since US law bars anyone associated with a terrorist organization from settling there".

Since the beginning of this year, the Baghdad government has repeatedly assured Iranian officials and people that it is determined to expel the MKO from Iraq by the end of 2011.

"Expulsion of the MKO from Iraq’s soil and termination of its presence which has lasted for several years is a definite decision," Iraqi Government Spokesman Ali Al-Dabbaq told FNA in April, adding, "The MKO will be expelled from Iraq by the end of the current year."

"The only option for the members of the MKO is leaving Iraq and they have no other choice," he reiterated.

Reminding to the black record of the terrorist group and its crimes against the Iraqi people, Dabbaq said, "Collaboration with the former Iraqi dictator and massacre of thousands of our people is just part of their crimes".

Dabbaq announced in early April that the cabinet is determined to shut down Camp Ashraf located North of the capital, Baghdad, and disband the terrorist group.

"The council of ministers is committed to the implementation of an earlier decision for disbanding the terrorist group by the end of this year at the latest, and is rigid about the necessity for getting it out of Iraq," the official noted.
Fars News, October 01 2011
http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=9007090082

October 2, 2011 0 comment

MEK Camp Ashraf

MEK in Iraqi Camp to Seek Refugee Status

In a development that could help resolve an eight-year-old diplomatic and humanitarian standoff, the Mujaheddin-e Khalq (MEK), an Iranian opposition group that has several thousand adherents at a military camp in Iraq, has agreed to allow residents to apply for refugee status and be interviewed individually by U.N. officials.

Vincent Cochetel, Washington representative for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told IPS Wednesday that an agreement was reached about 10 days ago through the MEK’s legal counsel in London.
"They have agreed to individual screening," he said. "We have offered an alternative location near Ashraf," the camp north of Baghdad where the MEK members reside.

The decision by the MEK could help resolve a crisis that has weighed heavily on the United States as it prepares to withdraw most of its remaining troops from Iraq. Iraqi officials are considering allowing a few thousand U.S. troops to stay in the country but only to provide training and other military assistance.

Mark Toner, deputy State Department spokesman, told IPS, "We fully support the international community’s efforts to resolve the situation at Ashraf."

There are about 3,300 Iranians left in the camp.

In the past, the MEK leadership has refused to allow most residents of Camp Ashraf to apply for refugee status or to speak with UNHCR representatives without MEK officials present.

Former members of the group, who contend that the MEK is a cult that fosters blind obedience to its leaders, say that many Ashraf inhabitants have been held against their will and would eagerly leave the camp if they could. There have been fears that the leaders would order members to commit suicide en masse rather than let them go.

The agreement with UNHCR is a necessary first step to close the camp – something the Iraqi government has long sought – but does not resolve the problem of where the residents find refuge.

"The challenge for us is to find countries to receive them," Cochetel said. "The likelihood that they can remain in Iraq is very limited."

The current Iraqi government, dominated by Shiites and Kurds, has tolerated the MEK camp only under U.S. and international pressure. The Iraqi leadership blames the MEK for allying with Saddam Hussein and participating in brutal crackdowns against Iraqi Kurds and Shiites following the 1991 Gulf War.

The George W. Bush administration initially promised to declare residents of Ashraf enemy combatants following the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq that toppled Saddam’s regime. Instead, however, U.S. forces put the camp under their protection. Since 2008, when Iraq regained sovereignty over the camp, Iraqi troops have entered Ashraf several times in a futile effort to convince residents to leave. A few dozen people have been killed in skirmishes between the Iraqis and the Iranians.

Trita Parsi, head of the National Iranian American Council, told IPS the agreement with UNHCR "could potentially be a breakthrough", but that it remained unclear whether the MEK leadership would allow everyone in the camp to be interviewed.

"Hopefully, if given enough protection, camp residents will be able to be truthful about conditions in Ashraf and where they want to go," Parsi said.

Several hundred camp residents have managed to return to Iran since 2003 through the auspices of the International Red Cross. Many of those who remain would fear to go to Iran [..].
Originally a Marxist-Islamist group that helped overthrow the Shah of Iran, the MEK lost a power struggle with more Islamic-oriented factions following the 1979 revolution. The group has very little support within Iran because of its siding with Iraq in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. During the following decade, while Saddam remained in power, the MEK carried out assassinations of prominent officials and other attacks within Iran.

The U.S. State Department put the MEK on its list of foreign terrorist organisations in 1997 because of the group’s bloody record, which includes the assassination of six U.S. citizens in Iran during the 1970s.

MEK leaders insist that they have renounced terrorism and now advocate a democratic government for Iran. But their literature continues to treat their leader, Mariam Rajavi, who lives outside Paris, as the object of a personality cult. The whereabouts of Mrs. Rajavi’s husband, Massoud, who led the group into exile, are unknown.

In recent months, wealthy supporters of the MEK have waged an aggressive lobbying campaign to be removed from the U.S. terrorist list, paying tens of thousands of dollars apiece to prominent former U.S. officials to speak on the group’s behalf.

One argument advanced by MEK adherents has been that removal from the list would allow Ashraf residents to come to the United States. However, a State Department official told IPS last month that U.S. law forbids immigration to anyone with ties to a foreign terrorist organisation. He said this includes "those who provided material support to, or received military-type training from the group, as many MEK members have".

Asked if UNHCR was looking to Europe – where many Ashraf residents have relatives – to give refuge to camp residents, Cochetel said, "I can’t say at this point that their response has been overwhelming."

IPS – By Barbara Slavin

September 29, 2011 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq; A proxy force

MKO: Homegrown Extremist terrorists in the US

Violent extremism on September 11th was the work of terrorists who have been hunted by the US since the disaster. Because of this extremist violence, the US has justified attacks on both Iraq MKO: Homegrown Extremist terrorists in the US and Afghanistan, and the attacks had, of course, merged into a full scale “War on Terrorism.”

When former president Bush launched this statement of propaganda, Middle Eastern countries immediately got a bad rap and politicians were in a frenzy to update the State Department’s Terrorist list. In his remarks at the United Nations, he used the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO/MEK/PMOI) as a pretext for his so-called Iraqi Freedom Operation.[1] For decades, the MKO has been a terrorist cult group, occupying Camp Ashraf inside Iraq. They were Saddam Hussein’s private army and used to execute Kurds, and perform terrorist acts against Iran. Today they have been executing a large scale, massively-funded propaganda campaign of their own in an effort to clean up their image and gain support from the US.

In fact, this terrorist group has gained the support from a number of prominent American politicians in its massive well-funded campaign to get removed from US State Department’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

But why?

The US and the MKO would like to use the MKO as a US proxy against the Islamic Republic as a way to destabilize the Iranian government. Despite the group’s violent extremist background record, it was embraced by some in the US administration. What this means for Iran haters, is that the MKO are the new freedom fighters, and they deserve, and must be de-listed.

Since 2003, there have been numerous reports on the risk of US-Iran proxy war. In July 2008, Col. Sam Gardiner (Ret.) an expert on strategy and military organizations warned about the proxy war that “has created an atmosphere in which incidents that otherwise could be handled could now ignite a much larger conflict." [2] The proxy war now seriously contradicts the diplomatic approach—largely propagated by President Obama.

Kaveh L.Afrasiabi of *The Asia Times* believes that a “full-fledged tree of tension with Iran has been nurtured by Washington.” Why such a hypocrisy in the US government’s policy? Afrasiabi finds the answer in the words of a Tehran University political science professor, who spoke with him on the condition of anonymity, he said, “a select group of Jewish policy makers in the White House, State Department and Treasury have hijacked President Obama’s policy on Iran and Obama may wake up one day and find the web of conflict with Iran so tightly wrapped around him that he has no choice but to lock horns with us.”[3]

One of the advocates of the MKO in the United States, retired Air Force Lt. General McInerny praised the group and called for its delisting as a part of a campaign of “provocative actions” against the Iranian government. He explicitly declared the group a “credible overt political-military counter force to the Iranian regime” at a pro-MKO conference in Washington. [4] General McInerney promotes the MKO to “a political military counterforce”, rather than a proxy force. And now, he clearly refers to the group’s military nature that has conveniently been denied by the MKO for years. Such comments would seemingly go against the MEK’s repeated claims to have transitioned from an Islamo-Marxist cult into the non-violent champion-head of creating a “free” Iran. This contradictory blunder didn’t seem to faze anyone, including the conference organizer Raymond Tanter, who insisted the attacks the MEK has conducted inside Iran were simply “military activities” and didn’t count as terrorism, writes Jason Ditz of Antiwar.com.[5]

The American supporters of the MKO terrorist designated cult must understand that terrorism will always remain a substantial and consistent threat.

Extremism is harmful, and the MKO are extremists who rely on Iran-haters to support their cause. Hate and anger are merely traits that encourage predatory type recruitment by the MKO, with delicious financial perks for the particularly intelligent, famous or well-connected “sponsors” who shamelessly offer speeches promoting, softening, and trying to legitimize the group. Georgetown Law School professor, David Cole asserts that agreeing to the speaking offer –let alone receiving speaking fees – violates the law that bars material support for terrorism. Thus MKO advocates are overtly committing a crime. [6]

The Middle East with the Arab Spring is already an overheated region. US citizens can expect a great social stress by supporting the MKO as a proxy against Iran. US authorities, particularly the Secretary of State should know that supporting a terrorist extremist entity is a large step forward against peace.

By Mazda Parsi

References:

[1] PressTV, West, Saudi money keeps terrorism alive, July 19,2011.
[2] Murray, Julia, The Risk of a US-Iran Proxy War, NIAC,July31,2008.
[3] L.Afrasiabi, Kaveh, US grows a tree of tension with Iran, Asia
Times,Aug3,2011
[4] Ditz, Jason, Retired US General: Delist Terrorists a ‘Provocative ‘
Action Iran,Antiwar.com, August23, 2011
[5]ibid
[6]Elliot, Justin, Speakers Bureau worked for Iranian terror group,
Salon.com,September8,2011

September 28, 2011 0 comment

The MEK Expulsion from Iraq

Iraq will move forward in line with its goals

Senior Iraqi lawmaker Sheikh Humam Hammoudi says Baghdad is determined to expel Iranian terrorist group Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) from the country despite pressures by the West to impede the move.

“According to Iraqi law, the MKO is a terrorist group that has killed a large number of Iraqi people. They are groups that would receive financial aid from Iraq’s former regime and mount pressure against the people of the country,” the head of Iraq’s Parliament Foreign Relations Commission said in an interview with ISNA.

Hammoudi added that the EU has put pressure on Iraq’s government to prevent it from expelling the terrorist group, noting however that “we will move forward in line with our goals.”

Members of the MKO fled to Iraq in 1986, where they enjoyed the support of executed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, and set up Camp Ashraf in Diyala Province, near the Iranian border.
The group has carried out numerous acts of terror and violence against Iranian civilians and government officials.

The terror organization is also known to have cooperated with Saddam in suppressing the 1991 uprisings in southern Iraq and the massacre of Iraqi Kurds in the north.

Tehran has repeatedly called on the Iraqi government to expel the group, but the US has been blocking the expulsion by pressuring the Iraqi government.

In April, Iraq’s government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Baghdad is determined to shut down Camp Ashraf, located in north of the capital, and disband the MKO terrorist group.

September 26, 2011 0 comment

Former members of the MEK

Darius Balafkandeh, MKO defector joined his family

On Monday September19, Mr. Darius Balafkandeh joined his family, Nejat Society, Gilan branch reported. Mr. Balafkandeh was warmly welcomed by his family who were awaiting his return for years.

Embraced by his mother, he said with watery eyes:

“The MKO is nothing but a liar. Since the moment I decided to flee the strictly controlled system of Rajavi, I tried to reach Iraqi forces protecting Camp Ashraf with great difficultly. I was welcomed by families picketing in front of camp Ashraf. I have to say bravely that when I faced Iranian officials at the Embassy in Iraq, I was surprised to see their humanly kind treatment toward me. I found out that I had been influenced by Rajavi’s indoctrination and forced presence in the group. I had only heard lies during those years. I am really embarrassed now.”

Darius’s mother was really moved by visiting her son after many years of waiting. She was crying kissing and hugging her son. She was thankful to the God for she could see her beloved son before her death. She hoped that other families could be able to see the return of their loved children to home and motherland.

Nejat Society also hopes the release of others held imprisoned at Camp Ashraf.

To view more photos click here

September 22, 2011 0 comment

Terrorist groups and the MEK

Iraqi activist unveils MKO-Al-Qaeda military cooperation

Chairman of an Iraqi legal committee tasked with investigating the crimes committed by the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) said that the committee has obtained documents substantiating a close military link and cooperation between the MKO and the Al-Qaeda terrorist Iraqi Activist Unveils MKO-Al-Qaeda Military Cooperation group.

“Based on the very clear documents and evidence presented to our committee 800 Iraqis enter Camp Ashraf (now the camp of New Iraq) on different pretexts, like construction work, everyday, but a majority of them are al-Qaeda members and receive military and terrorist trainings in the camp,”Nafeh Eisa told FNA on Tuesday.

He added that the terrorist group has put pictures and portraits of al-Qaeda leader on the walls of the camp, respecting them as”heroes of Islam”.

Earlier in May, an Iran-based right group said that it has obtained authentic documents proving that the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization has long had tight cooperation with Al-Qaeda’s terrorist cells in Iraq.

The document released by the Association for Defending the Victims of Terrorism (ADVT) belongs to the US-Iraq joint coordination force in Iraq’s Diyala province, where the MKO’s main training camp, Camp Ashraf is located.

The document reveals that the MKO has played an active role in insecurities and instabilities in Diyala.

The document further reveals that the terrorist group has helped the Al-Qaeda mount heavy canons and large-caliber machineguns onto their military vehicles.

The MKO has been in Iraq’s Diyala province since the 1980s.

Iraqi security forces took control of the training base of the MKO at Camp Ashraf – about 60km (37 miles) north of Baghdad – in 2009 and detained dozens of the members of the terrorist group.

The Iraqi authority also changed the name of the military center from Camp Ashraf to the Camp of New Iraq.

The MKO, whose main stronghold is in Iraq, is blacklisted by much of the international community, including the United States.

Many of the MKO members abandoned the terrorist organization while most of those still remaining in the camp are said to be willing to quit but are under pressure and torture not to do so.

A May 2005 Human Rights Watch report accused the MKO of running prison camps in Iraq and committing human rights violations.

According to the Human Rights Watch report, the outlawed group puts defectors under torture and jail terms.

The group, founded in the 1960s, blended elements of Islamism and Stalinism and participated in the overthrow of the US-backed Shah of Iran in 1979. Ahead of the revolution, the MKO conducted attacks and assassinations against both Iranian and Western targets.

The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.

September 21, 2011 0 comment

Iraqi Authorities' stance on the MEK

MKO leaders must be tried for crimes

Iraq’s Finance Minister Baqir al-Zubaidi says the ‘criminal leaders’ of the Mujahidin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group must be put on trial before being expelled from the country.
Iraq's Finance Minister Baqir al-Zubaidi
Iraqi people would never forget “the bitter memory of the massacre of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, especially a large number of Kurds from north, during the 1991 uprising (Intifada),” al-Zubaidi said on Tuesday.

The Iraqi minister added that MKO leaders would be put on trial as one of the main perpetrators of these crimes, IRNA reported.

Al-Zubaidi said the Iraqi nation is determined to wipe out terrorist groups from the country at any price.

Members of the MKO fled to Iraq in 1986, where they enjoyed the support of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, and set up Camp Ashraf in Diyala province, near the Iranian border.

The group has carried out numerous acts of terror and violence against Iranian civilians and government officials.

The terror organization is also known to have cooperated with Saddam in suppressing the 1991 uprisings in southern Iraq and the massacre of Iraqi Kurds in the north.

Tehran has repeatedly called on the Iraqi government to expel the group, but the US has been blocking the expulsion by pressuring the Iraqi government.

In April, Iraq’s government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Baghdad is determined to shut down Camp Ashraf, located in north of the capital, and disband the terrorist group.

September 21, 2011 0 comment

Mujahedin Khalq Organization

MEK: Facing a new era?

The U.S. State Department is preparing to announce its final decision on whether to remove the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) from its list of foreign terrorist organizations. The decision is expected by the end of this month.

The United States added the MEK’s name to the list of its foreign terrorist organizations in 1997, but last year the MEK appealed the decision before a U.S court, which has yet to rule on the matter. Former President Bill Clinton was in office when the MEK was originally listed as a terrorist organization, and now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is deciding whether to delist the organization.

The European Union and other European countries have already removed the MEK from their terrorist lists — a decision that has angered the Islamic Republic. There is a great level of animosity between the Islamic Republic and the MEK. Both sides will not be satisfied with anything less than the complete destruction of the other.

The MEK was founded in 1965 by Muslim youth who supported the Nehzat-e Azadi-e Iran, or Freedom Movement of Iran Party. These young individuals grew despondent of the non-violent policies of the liberal-Muslims of the Nehzat-e Azadi-e Iran, who formed the first government after the 1979 Revolution. The MEK, having been influenced by revolutionary movements in Latin America, established a secret organization, which aimed at using urban guerrilla warfare against the monarchy government of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

Since then, the MEK has been through many ups and downs and now, on the eve of its 50th anniversary, has mobilized all its efforts to be removed from the United State’s list of terrorist organizations. The MEK says it renounced violence in 2001, after claiming responsibility for 350 attacks in 2000 and 2001, according to a RAND Corporation tabulation. However, a 2004 FBI report found that the group was “currently actively involved in planning and executing acts of terrorism.”

The MEK, from its initial days until some time after the 1979 Revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, appeared to be the biggest opponent of Western countries, particularly the United Staes and Israel. The group firmly supported the takeover of the American embassy in Tehran by the Muslim Students Followers of Imam’s Line. *The MEK even went as far as accusing the leaders of the Islamic Republic of compromising with the world’s imperialist powers.

However, the social-political developments in the years following the Islamic Revolution resulted in the total elimination of MEK from the Iranian political scene. This reality pushed the leaders of the organization to begin an armed struggle against the Islamic Republic and seek refuge in Iraq in order to cooperate with Saddam Hussein during the eight years of the Iran-Iraq war from 1980–1988. The MEK continued to fight with the Islamic regime, whose leaders, the MEK believed, hijacked the 1979 Revolution. The MEK viewed themselves as the true revolutionaries against Pahlavi rule.

The group’s departure from Iran put an end to its ability to be in direct contact with the public. This exodus, coupled with the Islamic Republic’s prolific and effective propaganda machine, completed the picture of MEK’s betrayal and turned it into a pariah within Iranian society.

One can still find small threads of support and influence for the MEK in Iranian society. However, the majority of its support is from the family members that in the past had organizational ties to the group.

We should keep in mind that today’s leaders of the MEK are not the original founders. Many members of the organization and cadres of the Mujahedin, who joined before 1979, accuse the current leadership of betraying the ideas of the founders. This accusation, which is taking place internally, is different from the accusations made by the Islamic government about the organization.

Without a doubt, the influence of the MEK outside of Iran and among American and European politicians is much greater than inside the country. The influential lobbies of this organization and its supporters were finally able to delist MEK from the European Union’s terrorist list. Now, they hope to do the same in America.

In recent years, the MEK’s members, its supporters, and the organization, have been able to openly and without many obstacles continue their advocacy and political activities in the West. The fact that their name is on the terrorist list has not proven to be a serious impediment for their activities.

Recently, the MEK improved the quality and quantity of its satellite TV stations, which are being used to connect in a more effective way with protesters and dissidents inside Iran. They broadcast their programs without any problem and with the physical and political support of European and American politicians. The American and British media recently have reported that the MEK pays politicians tens of thousands of dollars to speak at public events the organization holds.

The MEK’s leaders are hoping to be delisted in order to enter a new phase of activities against the Islamic Republic. Delisting the group would provide the opportunity for the organization to carry out legal financial and political activities and would increase its credibility within the international community. In the long term, this could greatly help the organization neutralize the heavy propaganda from the Iranian government, which has prevented Iranians from gravitating toward the MEK.

Furthermore, the issue of delisting will force the MEK to make its activities, whether political or financial, more transparent and legal. It is not clear to what extent such a change could influence an organization whose foundation and identity have been based on secrecy and underground activities. […]
These days, the social networks on the internet are full of comments from young users, who believe in a fundamental change in the ruling government in Iran. However, the same users clearly oppose the removal of MEK’s name from America’s terrorist list. Obviously, the United States will provoke anger and cynicism of this powerful demographic, if it delists MEK.

It does not appear that the majority of the Iranian opposition groups, including the Green Movement, loyalists to the former monarchy, and reformists differ much from the Islamic Republic in their view of the MEK. This shows that while the MEK has been able to build a great deal of political influence in the West, they have failed to do so outside Iran.

Currently, MEK has dedicated the main bulk of its activities abroad to spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic and its political activities aim to destroy the regime in Iran.

The removal of MEK’s name from the terrorist list by the United States will certainly be a new phase in the tumultuous history between the MEK, Iran, and the United States.

Inside Iran – By Mohammad Reza Yazdanpanah

September 20, 2011 0 comment

Warning against violation of human rights in Ashraf

Letter of Sahar Family Foundation to the UN General Secretary

Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the honorable UN general secretary

On the tenth anniversary of the grave terrorist catastrophe in the US, which was the act of a destructive mind control cult under the guise of Islam, we on behalf of the families of the captives in the Ashraf cult garrison and freed members of the Rajavi destructive mind control cult wish to acquaint you and all human rights activists and international organizations with the following:

According to the news received from within Ashraf garrison, Massoud Rajavi had arranged for a series of extremely boring sessions with all members in the holy month of Ramadan, between dusk till dawn, via internet. Participating in these sessions was compulsory for all members and those refusing to join were reprimanded and disciplined. Even hospitalized and imprisoned persons were taken to the meetings.

In these sessions, Massoud Rajavi clearly announced that leaving the organization and attempting to escape from Ashraf is a political offense and betrayal and the penalty for just trying is death. He admitted that discontentment is mounting in his cult and that the internal situation of Ashraf is explosive. Rajavi specified in these meetings that not only losing Ashraf garrison is passing a red line, but also escaping is also an un-crossable line and if one managed to flee, all the commanders and residents of Ashraf are responsible. In many cases when one succeeds in escaping, all commanders and members of the person’s unit are penalized.

As you know, the report of the American RAND Institute indicates that around 70% of Ashraf inhabitants are there against their own will and if they have the right to choose they would definitely leave the organization. Rajavi indicated in his meetings with the members to the problem of retaining and controlling the members. At the moment the commanders have detained the unhappy residents of Ashraf using all sorts of barriers and fences and adopting tight security and control techniques.

The information received shows that Rajavi has instructed his cult’s commanders to prevent any escape attempt no matter what the cost and they must stop them even if they have to shoot them. What is certain is that one of the most brutal and constant examples of violation of human rights is going on in Ashraf garrison and unfortunately for some delusional political interests, there is no reaction against it.

One can ask why Rajavi is so scared of the free access of his followers to their families and the outside world, why granting political refugee status to the individuals and the direct contact of international organizations such as the Red Cross is considered as dissolving the organization, and why the UN and personalities and organizations defending human rights are silent in the face of these crimes. The truth is that Ashraf is a notorious and dreadful prison unique in the whole world. In this prison, which is run using the most sophisticated and modern tools and equipment, no one has the right to be visited and the penalty for attempting to escape is death. The members inside the garrison are subject to systematic mind manipulation and psychological and physical torture which are imposed continuously. Unfortunately there is no observation of what is going on and what is happening inside there.

We are certain that one day with the will of God and help of the families picketing outside Ashraf, its doors will be opened and the captives would be freed. Then those who supported the Rajavi cult and international officials who stood silent against these crimes should be held responsible by the families since they have practically joined Rajavi in his misconduct and caused the continuation of the suffering of both the members and their families.

We urge you as the Secretary General of the UN to adopt means to firstly prevent external interference against the Iraqi government imposing its rule over its land and secondly arrange some sort of international observance of what is happening inside Ashraf garrison by the leaders of the Rajavi cult. There are many documents filed in the Iraqi judicial system showing what is exactly happening which is so unpleasant. Most of these documents are recorded by eye witnesses who managed to escape from Ashraf.

We are awaiting your answer.

Sahar Family Foundation
Baghdad, 11 September 2011

Attachments:
– The report of the American RAND institute
– The report of Amnesty International
– The report of Human Rights Watch

Copy to:
– The UN office in Iraq (UNAMI)
– The ICRC
– AI
– HRW
– Iraqi ministry of human rights
– The US embassy in Baghdad
– The commander in chief of the US forces in Iraq

September 19, 2011 0 comment

MEK Camp Ashraf

Trapped in Camp Ashraf- Warning and an appeal

Trapped in Camp Ashraf- Warning and an appeal to the int’l community

We are approaching the end of year 2011; the deadline announced by the Iraqi government to evacuate Camp Ashraf. Over the past few months the USG’s diplomatic representative in Iraq Mr. Lawrence Butler has met seven times with the leaders of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation in the garrison to talk about the future of the group. His efforts have failed due to the stubborn resistance and rejection on the part of the Mojahedin-e Khalq. Some European countries have also have attempted to start a dialogue with the leaders of the group to convince them to allow the people inside to be sent individually to other countries under the supervision of the United Nations. But their efforts have also faced absolute intransigence on the part of the leaders of the group.

In addition, we have witnessed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appealing to the international community to help the Iraqi government in this case. But no meaningful action has been offered.

The Government of the United States of America also in a clear and transparent way has warned the leaders in the camp that if they do not respond positively to the suggestions put forward, then the USG will no longer be able to act as a negotiator and that the consequences of such action would be entirely attributable to the leaders of the Mojahedin-e Khalq .

The people inside the camp are described as “non status” and they are not accepted as refugees or even asylum seekers. The Iraqi government is adamant it will carry out the decision to close the camp – which is one of the last remains of the Saddam regime – and on the other hand the leaders of the Mojahedin inside the camp insist on keeping the status quo without any logical, legitimate, legal or other reasons.

And in this situation, as advocates of human rights and as ex-members of this organisation, we are deeply concerned about how this camp will be dismantled and especially about the misuse of the people inside the camp by the leaders of the group.

According to witnesses inside camp Ashraf it is said that Massoud and Maryam Rajavi have ordered all the leaders of the MEK to arrange meetings for everybody and give the order to them that “We will go along with the American army to the point that there is no physical interaction but when it comes to the Iraqi government we will become physical and we will make them pay the highest price.”

Considering what the Rajavis have said, although we believe that the imposition of Iraqi sovereignty over this illegally occupied territory at this time is an indisputable right of the government of Iraq, we urge the government and the committee in charge of dismantlement of the camp to try, as they have done over the last past 8 years, to only use non-violent solutions to solve this problem.

Although we know that the existence of this camp in this country of Iraq has no logical or legal basis but we are concerned that the heads of the MEK cult will use the 3400+ people stranded there as human shields to pursue their illogical and illegal demands.

We are deeply concerned that, according to much evidence and many documents, not least the report by the RAND Institute, about 70% of the people inside the camp are kept there against their will, and if we add to this their loss of hope due to the grim and uncertain future they face, the lack of access to media and information and the resulting ignorance this brings, and the existence of never ending barriers and security provisions across the camp, if we add all these then the reasons behind the existence of such an isolated island can become clear.

We are deeply concerned that in a situation where the dismantlement of the camp has begun, the leader of the group would force the low level members and the ordinary people trapped inside to fight the security and law enforcement agencies of Iraq.

On top of our concern over the human rights as an indisputable right for every individual inside the camp we remind you that many of the signatories of this letter have a family member, father, mother, spouse, sibling or friend inside the camp as a hostage. Therefore the primary aim of the MEK in keeping the members trapped inside is nothing except using them as a tool and human shield to save the neck of the leader Massoud Rajavi who remains in Iraq.

We warn that considering that the leaders of the group have already rejected the intervention of the Americans and insist on the relocation of the whole organisation as a group to another country, while it is clear that according to international law, asylum can only be given to individuals, the leaders are placing this kind of suggestion on the table only to further reject any non-violent solution and therefore exploit the members and endanger their lives.

We must warn the international community and humanitarian organisations across the globe, time is running out. And we are witnessing that the US proposal is the only feasible and realistic solution during the remaining time. Therefore while we condemn the leaders of the group for their lack of cooperation with the American and Iraqi officials, we warn that the responsibility for any resistance to the decision of the Iraqi government and endangering the lives of the people is primarily on the shoulders of Massoud Rajavi and Maryam Rajavi and the other high ranking leaders of the group.

We also believe that dialogue can be the solution to dismantle camp Ashraf and there should be no need for violence. We ask the leaders of the group to stop their ridiculous behaviour and obduracy and return to the dialogue and negotiation table

The government of Iraq has repeatedly announced that, respecting international humanitarian laws, these people will not be deported to countries where they may face problems and it has shown its commitment to this day. Accommodating and facilitating the voluntary exit from the camp of nearly 100 individuals who have given themselves up to the Iraqi forces from 2009 to the present is clear evidence of this commitment.

Therefore we ask the international community and humanitarian organisations and all the people who are worried about the future of these people to use whatever communication and/or other tools at their disposal to convince the leaders of the group that after the fall of Saddam Hussein Iraq is no longer a place for them to stay and it is their responsibility to seek assistance from international bodies such as the ICRC and UNHCR to get themselves out of there.

We the signatories of this letter would like to bring this issue to the attention of the following:

– The office of the Prime Minister of Iraq (Committee in charge of dismantlement of Camp Ashraf, Baghdad)
– Lady Catherine Ashton and relevant MEPs in European Parliament
– US State Department
– Human Rights Watch, New York
– Amnesty International, London
– United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Ms Navi Pilay, Geneva

The signatories:
Ariaee Milad (Germany)
Abbassloo Mohsen (Austria)
Abdollahi N (Netherlands)
Ahmadi Ali (Sweden)
Alishahi Behzad (Netherlands)
Behboodi Nasrin (Netherlands)
Barati Farideh (Netherlands)
Barati Mahboobeh (Netherlands)
Ebrahimi Jafar (France)
Fatahian Ghafoor (France)
Ghashghavi Ali (Germany)
Ghiabi Fatemeh (Germany)
Gholami Karim (Germany)
Haghi Karim (Netherlands)
Haji Mahrokh (Canada)
Hoseinin Kazem (Netherlands)
Jabani Massoud (Netherlands)
Jahani Ali (Germany)
Kalani Visha (France)
Karami Mohammad (France)
Kazemi Fereshteh (Netherlands)
Khodabandeh Massoud (United Kingdom)
Khoshal Mehdi (Germany)
Kohzadi Homayoon (France)
Kord Rostami Amirhossain (Canada)
Maleki Batool (Switzerland)
Mirasgari Alireza (Germay)
Mirzaee Zahra (Netherlands)
Mohammadi Mona (Denmark)
Mohammadi Mostafa (Canada)
Mohammadi Zahra (Netherlands)
Mohammadi Mahboobeh (Canada)
Movasaghi Amir (Germany)
Naderi Nader (France)
Naghashzadeh Alireza (Austria)
Nasrollahi Alireza (France)
Naseri Saeed (France)
Nazari Mansoor (France)
Noroozi Elham (Canada)
Noroozi Simin (Canada)
Noroozi Soheila (Canada)
Noroozi soosan (Canada)
Piransar Hassan (France)
Rastgoo Ali Akbar (Germany)
Razaghi Mohammad (France)
Rezvani Naser (Sweden)
Roodgar Khodabakhsh (Canada)
Roohi Majid (Denmark)
Sadeghi nejad Abbass (Germany)
Sagharchi Merhdad (Germany)
Sajoodi Mehdi (Germany)
Sarafpoor Hamed (France)
Sepahi Mahmood (France)
Sepher Minoo (Netherlands)
Shahrokhi Robabeh (Sweden)
Shams Hayeri Hadi (Netherlands)
Singleton Anne (United Kingdom)
Sobhani Mohammad Hussein (Germany)
Soltani Batool (Germany)
Termado Edward (Germany)
Thomasini Nelly (Netherlands)
Yousefi Mitra (Sweden)

September 19, 2011 0 comment

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