++ To mark the anniversary of 30th June, many former members have written their memories about the start of the MEK’s armed struggle. Most discuss the question ‘after such a strong beginning, how did the MEK end up in the mess they are in now?’

++ Hashemi Nejad from Habilian (representing the families of victims of MEK violence in Iran) was interviewed by ISNA agency about the end of the MEK in Iraq. He explains, using evidence, that before and after the fall of Saddam the Americans directly interfered in the fate of the MEK and whenever the group was in danger of collapse they resuscitated them through the auspices of the Saudis and Saddam. After 2003 the curtains fell away and the Americans were forced to help them directly themselves. It is known that the Americans tried to find another country to keep the MEK in, but the group is so dirty nobody accepted. Even the warlords governing no-man’s land war zones refused to help. So Albanians – a notoriously corrupt country – were paid to host the MEK. While doing this, the Americans have made sure the group is kept intact and – as with Ashraf and Liberty – that it is extremely difficult for anybody to run away from the cult. It is clear that, contrary to what is said publicly about accomplishing the transfers this year, the Americans will again interfere and the process will drag on, even though it is known this is the last step and soon the Middle East will be rid of the MEK.

++ Farsi articles about the MEK’s media presence this week focus on the fact that in spite of spending money and hiring lobbyists and being fed behind the scenes by anti-Iran intelligence services, the MEK has lost its place in the media and can’t get it back. Only Saudi or Saudi-backed papers cheer them on when they say anything against Iran. And in return the MEK are obliged to say things – like praising Arab sheikhs – that make Iranians despise them. The MEK are aware of this contradiction but can’t refuse because they are paid to do it.

++ Omid, a recent survivor of the MEK, sent an article to Iran Interlink on the occasion of 17 June and the self-immolations over Maryam Rajavi’s 2003 arrest in which two women died. Omid explains that Neda Hassani had been recently recruited from Canada so nothing much could be said about her. But Sedighe Mojaveri’s background was unknown and the MEK therefore claimed her as an ideological MEK member, deeply devoted to Maryam Rajavi. Omid says ‘I knew her, and I knew she wasn’t ideological nor was she a member of the MEK. But she was badly deceived. The proof is that at the time of her death the MEK announced she had a nine-year old son. This places her pregnancy four years after the internal ideological revolution and forced divorces. Omid goes into detail about the how the MEK have always tricked unsuspecting people into getting killed and that their own members would never perform such acts because they are aware of the deception.

In English:

++ Nejat Society published the open letter of former MEK member Issa Azadeh who spent 30 years with the group. He warns the French Interior Minister about the MEK’s planned rally at Villepinte. He says that the MEK will be bussing in a large number of Arab refugees from all over Europe and that tolerance of this event does not tally with French counter-terrorism efforts.

++ Faryad Azadei website in Paris reports on a letter signed by 127 human rights activists to Ban Ki-moon condemning the MEK’s unprovoked attack on family members outside Camp Liberty when they tried to contact their loved ones there.

++ Iran Didban website reports that over three years, 958 residents of Camp Liberty in Iraq have been transferred to Tirana. The Albanian government announced that the remaining 1900 residents would be relocated there by the end of 2016.

 June 17, 2016

++ Over ninety percent of the MEK’s websites and outlets have been promoting Daesh’s cause. Now that Daesh is being pushed back by Syrian and Iraqi armed forces, the MEK and Saudi media have come out strongly against the Syrian and Iraqi and Russian governments with unsubstantiated allegations of murders and mistreatment of civilians. One such item is interesting because it accuses the Iraqi army of destroying a Sunni mosque. The photograph used, however, is from several years ago and actually shows Daesh destroying a Shia mosque. Farsi commentators say this is not surprising since the Saddamists, Daesh and the MEK are losing their footholds in Iraq. These anti-Iran forces are so much on overdrive that they gleefully celebrate the death of an Iranian pilot when his jet fighter accidentally crashed during a training exercise inside Iran.

++ Several open letters have been addressed to the French Interior Ministry expressing disgust that the French government allows the MEK to publicly celebrate their ‘armed struggle’ which killed thousands of Iranian and Iraqi civilians while the French people are cowed and restricted by ‘the terrorist threat’.

++ To mark the start of the month of Ramazan, a few former MEK members wrote their experience of Ramazan inside the group. They reveal that at the start of the MEK, fasting was observed as a religious obligation. Later on, when Rajavi took control, they were ordered to make a show of it for the outside world, but to give their allegiance to Rajavi rather than to their religion.

++ German language Duetch Welle published an article about fears over the MEK arriving in Europe. In the article, experts say that European countries must deal with this issue properly or it will add to the terrorism threat inside Europe. In Albania, Agenzia Nova newspaper revealed that arrangements have been agreed for the remaining 1,900 residents of Camp Liberty in Iraq to be transferred to Tirana before the end of the year.

++ Farzad Farzinfar, a former MEK member, died in Sweden this week. Many who expressed their condolences also wrote their memories of him. After leaving the MEK, Farzinfar spent a difficult time in Ramardi camp at the time of Saddam before getting out of Iraq. He was one of the first members to be able to escape Iraq and talk outside that country about the realities inside the MEK at a time when the MEK had the full support of Western governments and Saddam himself. People write that although he suffered greatly he always tried to help others rather than complain about his own situation.

++ Maryam Sanjabi, a former member of the MEK’s all women Leadership Council, was interviewed by Neda-ye Haghighat website. The MEK tried hard to demonise and discredit Sanjabi after the recent publication of her book. In the interview Sanjabi exposes evidence of Saudi support and payments for the MEK at the time of Saddam. She talks in detail about Massoud Rajavi’s clandestine visit to Saudi Arabia ostensibly for Haj which the MEK later were forced to admit to. After that, after the First Gulf War, Rajavi received three lorry loads of gold bars and jewellery which was brought to Iraq from Saudi Arabia. The MEK took it bit by bit to Jordan and sold it there. At that time Malek Abdullah was Crown Prince and he was in charge of the MEK and Saddamists. He gave his support for these financial transactions. Sanjabi explains further that Daesh is not a new phenomenon but is a continuation of this coalition of forces.

In English:

++ Mazda Parsi writes an interesting article for Nejat Society based on evidence from the Walk Free Foundation about modern slavery in the world. Parsi uses the Foundation’s evidence and information about slavery to demonstrate that MEK members are being held in a state of modern slavery, including conditions of forced labour, incarceration and secrecy and sexual exploitation.

++ Several people have written to support Mr Gholamreza Shirdam in his hunger strike in Turkey. He complains that after seven years his application for asylum has still not been assessed by the UNHCR. He believes this is because he is a former member of the MEK.

June 11, 2016