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A remarkable number of the MKO members return to Iran

The Iranian ambassador to Baghdad has said that the Iraqi officials are serious in dealing with the terrorist group PJAK (the Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan), emphasizing they regard Iran’s action against terrorists as justified.

Iraq regards this group as a terrorist one and believes that Iran has the right to take action against the group, Ambassador Hassan Danaiifar told reporters on Sunday.

Asked about Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), he said that the Iraqi government is determined to expel the members of the terrorist group from the country by the end of this year.
He also said that most of the members of this group that have escaped from Camp Ashraf are trying to return to Iran.

“After escape, they usually seek refuge in Iraq, and most of them demand to be granted permission to enter Iran as they have requested in their interviews with the International Committee of the Red Cross,” he said referring to those members of the group that have not been involved in any criminal action.

“We will also facilitate the process of their return to Iran,” he added.

He went on to say that a remarkable number of the group members have been returned to Iran and a special committee has been set up for this purpose in Iran’s consulate in Iraq .

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Iran: Despite hues and cries about campaigns, west is supporter of terrorism

IRGC Official Terms Iran Biggest Victim of Terrorism
A senior Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) official blasted the world arrogant powers for their assistance and support for anti-Iran terrorist groups, and described Iran as the biggest victim of terrorist acts in the world.

"The Iranian nation with more than 17,000 martyrs is the biggest victim of terrorism in the world," Supreme Leader’s Vice Representative to the IRGC said in the Central city of Qom on Saturday night.

He lambasted the western countries for their support for terrorist groups despite their hues and cries about campaign against terrorism, and said the world arrogant powers equipped terrorist groups against the Islamic Republic on the early days after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and they are now also striving to save the anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO).

The MKO has been in Iraq’s Diyala province since the 1980s. The Baghdad government has assured Iranian officials and people that it is determined to expel the MKO from Iraq by the end of 2011.

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.
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).

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 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.

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Iran

Iran criticizes US support for MKO

A senior Iranian military figure has lashed out at the United States for its support for the presence of the terrorist group Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) on Iraqi soil.

Head of Iran’s Sacred Defense Foundation General Mohammad Baqerzadeh on Sunday criticized Washington for its support for the presence of MKO terrorists in Camp Ashraf in Iraq’s eastern province of Diyala.

“Continuing to support MKO presence in Iraq after this group has been recognized as a terrorist cell in the world shows US support for the existence of terrorist movements,” Mehr News Agency quoted him as saying.

General Baqerzadeh said US support for the MKO comes despite the fact that terrorism and terrorist acts are condemned around the world, adding, “This is an example of the West’s double standards with regards to human rights and this issue must be broached in the international community.”

“This terrorist cell has committed crimes not only against the people of Iran but also Iraqis … therefore the people of both countries can reserve the right to pursue efforts to bring the MKO to justice.”

The MKO fled to Iraq in 1986, where it enjoyed the support of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, and set up Camp Ashraf near the Iranian border. The group has been actively involved in the assassination of Iranian officials and civilians and also helped the massacre of Iraqi Kurds in 1991.

The European Parliament, which removed the MKO from its blacklist in 2009, issued a declaration in November 2010 and urged the US to take the group off its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

The MKO, which has been on the US terror list since 1997, filed a petition against the blacklisting in 2008.

The administration of former US president George W. Bush rejected the request in its final days in 2009, after examining material submitted by the group and US intelligence agencies, including classified information.

In February 2011, a group of former high-ranking American politicians and officials renewed calls to remove the MKO from the State Department’s official list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

They argued that the MKO is critical to any chance of overthrowing the Islamic establishment of Iran.

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Coordination Underway between Iran, Iraq over MKO Camp

Iranian Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi stressed Tehran’s repeated and strong call for the expulsion of the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) from Iraq during the recent meetings between the two countries’ officials, and said Tehran and Baghdad have worked out good coordination over this issue.

"We insist the Iraqis to decide the fate of Camp Ashraf (MKO’s main training camp in Iraq) and to pledge to take action very soon," Moslehi told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting here in Tehran on Wednesday.

"Of course, they have taken good measures that deserve to be praised."

Yet, Moslehi said Iraqi officials have also taken good measures to boost cooperation with Iran in this regard. "There has been some coordination which we hope to yield its results as soon as possible," he said.

The minister further reiterated that the MKO terrorists in Camp Ashraf are supported by the US, and added that the recent clash between the Iraqi forces and the MKO members clearly demonstrated the US support for the terrorist group since a number of the wounded MKO members were treated by the US forces.

Last week, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said his country is in talks with Tehran to decide a future for the MKO terrorist group.

"We have proposed the formation of a joint committee between Iran, Iraq and the (International Committee of the) Red Cross to resolve the issue (of the MKO) at Camp Ashraf," Zebari said at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi.

The committee "will discuss the requests of the members of this group who live in Camp Ashraf, particularly those who seek to return to Iran without any pressure or difficulty," Zebari said.
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 has been in Iraq’s Diyala province since the 1980s. The Baghdad government has assured the Iraqi people that it is determined to expel the MKO from Iraq by the end of 2011.

Meantime, media reports said that the US is trying to convince Iraqi officials to relocate the 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.

Since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the group has been strongly backed by neo-conservatives in the United States, who argue for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.

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Iran

Intelligence Minister: MKO is in Decline

Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi has said that the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) is on the decline.

“Monafeqin (MKO) is declining, but this does not mean that the desperate attempts of this terrorist group against the great Iranian people have been abandoned,” Moslehi stated in Tehran on Thursday.

He also said that Iran’s intelligence apparatus is keeping a close eye on the moves that terrorist groups are making.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Moslehi warned the country’s officials against the activities of the MKO members, saying these terrorists are making endeavors to achieve their evil goals through recruiting members.

He went on to say that the forces of imperialism have always been seeking to deal a detrimental blow to Iran’s Islamic establishment through this terrorist organization.

“We even have information that the hegemonistic powers helicopter money and whatever required by terrorist groups to them,” the Iranian minister added.

Moslehi also said that terrorist groups in various parts of the world, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and the occupied territories are being funded by U.S. dollars and European euros.

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Iran holds an exhibition to honor victims of MKO terrorists

Iran remembers the victims of terrorism.
Tehran is hosting a photo and poster exhibition to commemorate those killed in terrorist operations launched by the Iraq-based MKO.

VIEW THE VIDEO FILE

The exhibition showcases the photos of a group of 12000 Iranians who have fallen victim to the terrorist nature of this group since the victory of the Islamic Revolution back in 1979.

This exhibition has been set up to show the true nature of the MKO and its supporters. In this exhibition we have also unveiled the links between the MKO and several other terrorist groups like Jondullah.

The Iraq-based MKO is listed as a terrorist group by much of the international community, but the US and a number of its European allies still throw weight behind the group.

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

The group is especially notorious in Iran because they took sides with former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during the 1980-1988 Iraqi-imposed war on Iran.

Aside from ordinary people, the MKO has assassinated almost 200 revolutionary and important figures of the Islamic Republic of Iran including former Iranian President Mohammad-Ali Rajaei, Prime Minister Mohammad-Javad Bahonar, and Judiciary Chief Mohammad Husseini Beheshti. All were assassinated in 1981.

Saman Kojouri, Tehran

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Iran

Iran: US human rights stance contrary to their support for MKO

Iran’s Judiciary chief has criticized Western countries for imposing their viewpoints of human rights on other states by using their “media domination.”

“There is a contradiction between the words and actions of Western countries on human rights and they impose their viewpoints of human rights on other states by media domination,” said Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani on Tuesday, Mehr news agency reported.

He added that the US and other Western nations “repeat their human rights allegations” against other countries in an attempt to destabilize them.

Ayatollah Larijani noted that the US and its Western allies, in contradiction to their claims of human rights, support a number of regional regimes that have no regard for human rights and democracy in their countries.

The Iranian Judiciary chief also criticized the West’s support for certain terrorist groups such as Mujahedeen Khalq Organization (MKO) “that clearly violated human rights and killed many people.”

The MKO is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international community and has carried out numerous acts of terror and violence against Iranian civilians and government officials.

The Iraq-based group is also known to have cooperated with executed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in suppressing 1991 uprisings in southern Iraq and the massacre of Iraqi Kurds.

The European Union removed the MKO from its list of terrorist organizations in 2009.

In 2010, the European Parliament also issued a declaration and urged the US to remove the MKO from Washington’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. The MKO, which has been on the US terror list since 1997, filed a petition against the blacklisting in 2008.

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Iran: Americans should stop using Mojahedin Khalq terrorists

The official pronouncement of Osama bin Laden’s death by the US president means that Washington has no more excuse to keep its military buildup in the region, a senior Iranian official reiterated.

"Now that they (the Americans) claim they have managed to kill the leader of the al-Qaeda, they have no more excuse for their presence in the region," Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast said in a televised interview Saturday night.

Meantime, he stressed that the double-standard policies showed by the US and certain western countries have convinced the world people that the western states are not serious about campaign against terrorism.

"This question has remained in the minds of the people that if Americans really wanted to fight terrorism, then why they cooperated with those terrorist moves which targeted the regional people," Mehman-Parast asked.

His remarks came after a recent call by the EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, on Iraq for ignoring the terrorist activities of the anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO).
The European Union has lately changed approach towards the terrorist MKO in a move to pressurize Iran to stop its progress in the civilian nuclear technology.

Some ranking members of the MKO who have had a role in the assassination of a large number of Iranian citizens and officials are currently living in France.

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).

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 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.

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Iran should help Iraq shut Camp Ashraf

Tehran should offer assistance to the Baghdad government in shutting down Iraq’s Camp Ashraf that houses members of terrorist Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), Brigadier General Masoud Jazayeri said, Press TV reported with reference to Mehr News Agency.

Jazayeri told that the Iraqi nation would like to see Camp Ashraf closed, but the US keeps making efforts to impede the process.

Saying that Iran must aid Iraq in closing down Camp Ashraf, the general added that when it comes to the closure of the camp, Washington’s falsehood further becomes apparent.
"This camp has served as the base for the world’s most notorious terrorists over the recent decades," he further explained.

"Unfortunately, this camp has been fully backed by Americans and Israelis and the hated [former] Iraqi regime [of Saddam Hussein]; thus, in case the [current] Iraqi government gets the required authority over that compound, it will soon shut down the place ..," said the top general.

"We expect international organizations and circles, as well as all those that claim to advocate human rights, to seriously deal with crimes committed by these terrorists and mete out the punishment that fits their crimes," he noted.

Earlier in May, the US proposed a plan to relocated Camp Ashraf residents to other parts of Iraq before their final resettlement in third countries.

The U.S. designated the MKO a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997; the group is still on the list. Britain and the European Union took the group off their terrorist lists in 2008 and 2009 respectively after court rulings that found no evidence of terrorist actions after the MKO renounced violence in 2001.

On April 11, Iraqi government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, said the cabinet was determined to shut the camp down.

The MKO fled to Iraq in the 1980s, where it enjoyed the support of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and set up Camp Ashraf in the eastern province of Diyala, near the Iranian border.

Over 3,000 MKO members are currently residing at the camp. Since Saddam was deposed in 2003, the Iraqi government has set numerous deadlines for the group to leave the country.
Iran has repeatedly called on the Iraqi government to expel the group.

en.trend.az

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Iran: We cannot confirm killing of MKO ringleader Rajavi

Iranian Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi has not confirmed news reports claiming that Masoud Rajavi, the ringleader of the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization, has been killed.
“We have not yet come to the conclusion that he has been killed,” Moslehi told reporters in Tehran on Saturday.

Commenting on the situation of the MKO members based at Camp Ashraf, Moslehi stated that the United States and its allies are making attempts to save the MKO, but the members of this terrorist organization must be aware that they have no place in Iraq.

The Iraqi government has decided to expel all MKO members within six months.

According to Habilian Association website, a number of the Iraqi families, who have lost their beloved ones in attacks carried out by the MKO, plan to file a lawsuit against this terrorist organization at the Department of Justice Activities in Iraq.

Habilian Association is a Human Rights NGO comprising of a group of families of the victims of the terrorist attacks.
According to the report, a number of the families of the victims of the March 1991 massacre seek the prosecution of the perpetrators of the massacres and want the leaders of the organization to be brought to justice.

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