Page 487 – Nejat Society

Judge puts Terror goup lobbyist Hassan Daieoleslam on notice

Statement on Lawsuit Against Hassan Daieoleslam

Neo Cons, Mojahedin Khalq fail to Silence the Moderate Middle

Friday, September 14, 2012
By: NIAC Press Release

The court ruling yesterday in NIAC’s lawsuit against Seyyed Hassan Daieoleslam granted NIAC victory on its central demand, while falling short on other objectives.

NIAC brought the lawsuit against Daieoleslam in 2008 in response to his slander and defamation against the organization and its co-founder, Trita Parsi. Our objective with the lawsuit was two-fold.

First, to challenge Daieoleslam’s false accusations that NIAC lobbied for the Iranian government in court and force the defendant to prove his case or concede.

On this crucial issue, NIAC prevailed. Once in front of the court, Daieoleslam had the opportunity to make his case for the truth. Instead, he changed his tune and did not seek to argue that his accusations were correct and truthful. Instead he essentially abandoned the truth and instead argued that NIAC could not prove that he knew what he was saying was false, i,e malicious. By that, he conceded this very essential point and is on notice that what he is saying is false and therefore would be acting with malice if he continues to make the same false, baseless and defamatory allegations.

The defendant’s shift is understandable mindful of the fact that after reviewing thousands of NIAC emails and documents, he could not point to a single shred of evidence indicating that NIAC served as a lobby for the government in Iran.

The judge points to this as well in his ruling, writing that “Nothing in this opinion should be construed as a finding that defendant’s articles were true. Defendant did not move for summary judgment on that ground.”

The second objective with the lawsuit was to change the nature of the political culture in the Iranian-American community, away from the slander, defamation and character assassination campaigns favored by some, and towards a more open and truthful discourse. Our hope was that by challenging the maliciousness and defamation, the culture would shift in a democratic direction.

On this point, our efforts fell short. The standard was for us to prove that Daieoleslam acted with malice, that is, not just that he was not speaking the truth, but that he knew he wasn’t speaking the truth.

While we believe the evidence clearly showed that Daieoleslam knew he was lying, based on his systematic disregard for truth, neglect of readily available information that contradicted his conspiracy theories, declaration that he aimed to “destroy NIAC” in order to “bring down Obama,” as well as his support for the Mujahedin-e Khalq terrorist organization, the Judge felt this didn’t meet his standard and denied us the opportunity to take Daieoleslam in front of a jury and help democratize the political culture in the Iranian-American community.

While we regret that such a milestone could not be achieved for the Iranian-American community, we are content that in the court of law he could not and did not defend his false accusations.

In regards to cost-sharing of the expense of the discovery, we disagree with the court’s ruling and retain the option to challenge and appeal the decision.

These past four years have been challenging and burdensome. NIAC is a small organization, with a small budget and a small legal team. Our only card was that we knew – and we proved – that truth was on our side. Daieoleslam, on the other hand, had the support of a broad network of well-funded pro-war figures. He was represented by Sidley Austin, one of the largest law firms in the world and the main counsel on his legal team was President George W. Bush’s lawyer in the White House.

But precisely because he didn’t have truth on his side, Daieoleslam tried to shift the focus of the court away from the central charge and instead overwhelm NIAC with legal expenses by filing an endless stream of motions.

The order of the judge also puts Daieoleslam on notice. While he claimed not to have known that what he was writing was false, he no longer can hide behind that excuse going forward. He is on notice and will pay the consequences of further defamation.

In the past ten years, NIAC has helped transform the Iranian-American community from being politically apathetic and vulnerable to becoming dynamic and in ownership of their own destiny. We have helped the community stand up against the voices of war, stand up for their rights in face of discrimination, and stand up for the values that make America strong. NIAC will continue to serve the interest of the Iranian-American community, particularly at this moment when the risk of war is increasing, repression in Iran is intensifying and the suffering of the Iranian people is reaching intolerable levels.

September 16, 2012 0 comments

MEK Camp Ashraf

The remaining MKO members moved from Camp Ashraf

Iraqi sources say 680 members of the terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) have been moved from their original residence in the eastern province of Diyala to a new camp near the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. 680 MKO members moved from Camp Ashraf to new camp in Iraq

Diyala provincial officials said the seventh group of the MKO terrorists was transferred from Camp New Iraq, formerly known as Camp Ashraf and situated about 120 kilometers (74 miles) west of the border with Iran, to Camp Liberty on Saturday.

The sixth convoy of about 400 residents of Camp Ashraf was moved to Camp Liberty on August 29.

The MKO fled to Iraq in 1986, where it enjoyed the support of Iraq’s executed dictator Saddam Hussein, and set up its camp near the Iranian border.

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

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

September 16, 2012 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

Terror In The Name Of Democracy: Terrorism Continues

From the initiation of MKO’s armed warfare in mid-1981 until the end of the same year, the death toll of its terrorist operations rose to 338

A Point to Underline

An overlooked point increasing the complexity of the terrorist bombing on August 30 is that majority of the authorities having a role in undertaking investigations into the case and seeking prosecution of the elements have become the victims of terrorism themselves. Just after the explosion, the presidential council comprising Hojjat-al-Islam Rafsanjani and the Chief Justice Abdolkarim Moussavi Ardebili appointed the Prosecutor General Ayatollah Rabbani Amlashi to investigate the case. A few days later, he announced the result; the terrorist perpetrator had been identified to be Massooud Keshmiri. An assassination attempt was conducted on Ayatollah Amlashi by MKO and although he escaped the death, he was later assassinated by another violent group.

Ayatollah Ali Qodussi and Asaddullah Lajevardi were other involved authorities that were targeted by MKO. Ayatollah Ali Qodussi, the attorney general, was leading an investigation into the explosion at prime minister’s office. Just 6 days after the explosion, on 5 September, an incendiary bomb blasted at his office that led to his death. Asaddullah Lajevardi, a former director of Tehran’s Evin prison and public prosecutor, was assassinated at a time when he had been retired. But he was targeted by MKO because he was suggesting and engaged in a struggle to reopen the case of MKO’s bombing atrocities

A Brief Report of MKO’s terrorist Operations in 1981

From the initiation of MKO’s armed warfare in mid-1981 until the end of the same year, the death toll of its terrorist operations rose to 338 according to its own published reports. The operations can be classified under three categories: 1. Bomb attacks against official and public targets and assassinations of authorities, 2. Orchestrating violent and riotous demonstrations, 3. Targeting civilians. The followings are a record of MKO’s major and significant terrorist and violent activities within a 6 month span.

1. Bomb attacks against official and public targets and assassinations of authorities

June 1981: Bomb blast at Qom railway station left more than 50 casualties with 7 killed.

June 1981: A bomb was blasted in an attempt to assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei, Tehran’s leader of Friday Prayer at the time.

June 28, 1981: Bomb explosion at IRP headquarters killed nearly 74 high-ranking officials including Ayatollah Beheshti, the leader.

July 6, 1981: Assassination of chief prosecutor in Gilan Northern province.

August 30, 1981: Bomb explosion at prime minister’ office, killed the new president, Ali Rajai, and his Prime Minister, Mohammad Javad Bahonar.

August 1981: Assassination of Hassan Ayat, a member of Assembly of Experts for Constitution and a Member of Parliament.

September 1981: Bomb explosion at the central building of the Prosecutor General of the Revolution killed Ayatollah Ali Qodussi

September 1981: Suicide attack targeted Ayatollah Seyyed Asadollah Madani, a senior cleric, in Tabriz.

A suicide attack targeted seyyed Abdolkarim Hashemi Nejad, IRP leader, in Khorasan province.

October 1981: A bomb blast on Nassir Khusrow Street in Tehran crashed down a hotel and many houses and shops and many civilians were killed.

A bomb explosion on Khayyam Avenue in Tehran killed 20 residents and left many injured.

November 1981: MKO detonated a bomb on Vali Asr Avenue in front of the Quds department store leading 4 people to their death.

On November 24 two bombs exploded at Tehran’s Railway Station killing three.

December 1981: A suicide attack targeted Ayatollah Abdul-Hussein Dastgheib, a senior cleric in Shiraz and a number of other civilians.

2. Orchestrating violent and riotous demonstrations

June 20 1981: MKO demonstrators set cars on fire and attacked civilians in downtown Tehran. At least 30 were reported killed and 200 injured from the sides of the demonstrators. Similar demonstrations were reported from other Iranian cities.

August and September 1981:

– 30 Mhjahedin demonstrators set tires on fire in Gurgan St. in Tehran.

– 25 Mhjahedin demonstrators set tires and a bus on fire and threw hand-grenades in Tehran-No St. in Tehran

– Around 80 Mhjahedin demonstrators set tires on fire, threw Molotov and fired guns in Kamali St. in Tehran

– Around 70 Mhjahedin demonstrators set two buses on fire and threw hand-grenades that left 10 casualties in Vali-Asr St. in Tehran

– 60 Mhjahedin demonstrators disturbed the order and killed two civilians in Azarbayjan St. in Tehran

– Around 60 Mhjahedin demonstrators threw Molotov at the banks and stores and exchanged fire guns in a clash with guards in Behnudi St. in Tehran

– Around 40 Mhjahedin demonstrators set tires on fire and threw Molotov in Sina St. in Tehran

– Around 40 Mhjahedin demonstrators fired guns at people and police forces in Behnudi St. in Tehran

– Around 100 Mhjahedin demonstrators set two buses and some tires on fire and threw Molotov at a gas station in Vali-Asr St. in Tehran

– 12 Mhjahedin demonstrators threw Molotov at a greengrocer in Behnudi St. in Tehran

– 27 September: Many armed Mhjahedin demonstrators set a few buses on fire and machine-gunned civilians killing and injuring them in downtown Tehran.

3. Targeting civilians

The civilians who were targets of MKO’s terrorist atrocities were of a variety of classes; teachers, merchants, drivers, workers and the like. Majority of them were targeted and attacked on charges of being a supporter of the Islamic Republic, having beard, and resisting against the perpetrators’ demands.

September 15, 2012 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

48 Years After Formation of MKO

MKO lacks the least political support among the Iranian people and opposition

This September, Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO, MEK, PMOI, NCR, NLA) commemorates 48th anniversary of its formation. Now on the list of designated terrorist organizations, there is no denying that it shares many characteristics and similar terrorist and violent tactics employed by any of the same groups and entities on the list. However, hardly any of other terrorist groups can be identified even close to it in utilizing tactics in pursuit of overall strategies that have oftentimes changed in degree and frequency; a make-believe shift from an absolute violent to a presumably pro-democracy group, an opportunistic and ambivalent shift from the ultra-left to ultra-right, and turning into an enthusiastic pro-imperialist after being initially and inherently recognized an ardent anti-imperialist.

As an opposition lasting for nearly half a century in Iranian temporary history, MKO is known to have had the most destructive impact on other campaigning freedom-seeking and ideological groups. In contrast to genuine sincerity and righteous causes of the early founders of the organization, as many believe, the subsequent unsavory assumption of power as the leader by Massoud Rajavi actually led the organization to a different path of deviation that so far has challenged it. It does not mean that the early founders like Muhammad Hanifnejad were totally free from mistakes and errors in decision makings that were somehow a natural impact of other active political, ideological and mainly Marxist groups’ activities, but Rajavi’s persistence to walk on a more tortuous path of mistakes led many to doubt the honesty and veracity of the early founders in their claimed campaign.

Benefiting a wide range of public support for its ideological and religious believes MKO was holding at the beginning, it did not take long, only a decade later, for the group to be totally divested of majority of its publically reputed figures who were superseded by pro-leftists. In fact, MKO has failed to remain an un-diverted group and has often been realigning itself with leftist ideologies and has undergone a thorough change both in its membership make up and political interaction with the world outside. Now nearly after five decades of its formation, MKO is facing strong opposition from a variety of other opposition groups that are drawing firm lines of demarcation between genuine and sham ideological, political and strategic policies practiced by MKO and themselves. Here are some examples of these oppositions’ perception of MKO.

– A front of opposition believes that the formation of MKO was engineered by under-the-curtain hands to carry through imperialist, freemason and capitalist ends and to confront genuine Islamic movements. Based on questionable, historical analyses and evidences, this front argues that the formation of MKO followed a tactic of forming a trend at the expense of Islamic movements but at the service of imperialism interests.

– There are others who are of the opinion that MKO was principally a devoted Islamic group but the strong impact of Marxist movements on Iranian campaigning intelligentsia at the time impelled the leaders to nest fallacies in reasoning to make impetuous decisions. These seriously made miscalculations are known to be the root of the consequent organizational and eclectic deviations lasted so far.

– Another group believes that surviving intellectuals of the early Mojahedin like Taqi Shahram and Bahram Aram, who had concealed their Marxist inclination as they joined the organization, were the subset to lead the organization to a full derailment. They are said to have established close collaboration with SAVAK, Pahlavi’s Intelligence Agency, and CIA to deflect the organization from its main path by open declaration of conversion to Marxism when the top leaders were arrested and executed.

– A fourth group observes that transformation of MKO into a deviated terrorist cult is the result of Massoud Rajavi’s hegemonic and ideological leadership. Rajavi’s plotted ideological revolution was in itself a result of the organization’s failures during 1981-1985 and a process that turned to be the major cause behind all deviations and failures of organization.

– The end of the bipolar order is generally associated with the collapse of the USSR that had its great impact on revolutionary Marxism. As a result, majority of left-oriented groups building their struggle on revolutionary and violent underground militarism encountered shocking failed strategies. The claiming revolutionary MKO was not an exception; compelled to undergo a change, MKO is presumed a pro-democratic, non-violent group with no actual reformation of its old infrastructure.

– And a last group of commentators conclude that MKO is considered a good case for historical studies concerning idealist, revolutionary and militant groups turning into non-democratic cults acting under a pro-democratic guise.

Frankly speaking, no campaigning group can be found in Iranian contemporary history so controversial as MKO. The group’s blind assassinations and bloody terrorist operations under a false flag of freedom and democracy repelled Iranian people and made MKO disappointed of availing itself of the determinative public element inside the country to face absolute public rejection. The supporters of a once claiming revolutionary group at the moment are neither the internal or the external oppositions but state-sponsored warmonger Western parties and a few retired and former Western personalities in need of MKO’s money.

September 15, 2012 0 comments

Iraq

Iraqi government opens refugee camp to diplomats

Iraqi government opens refugee camp to diplomats, hoping to resettle Iranian exiles elsewhere

Iraq offered foreign diplomats on Tuesday a rare glimpse at a camp that is the new temporary Iraqi government opens refugee camp to diplomats home of an Iranian exile opposition group that has a long-running feud with Baghdad, winning from the envoys cautious praise of the conditions there.

The Mujahedeen-e-Khalq opposed the move to Camp Liberty, a former U.S. base on the outskirts of Baghdad, from another camp in Iraq. They say it is an intolerable prison. Iraq says that it is up to international standards.

The back-and-forth bickering feeds into a wider, decade-long dispute between the MEK and Iraq over the fate of the former guerrilla movement. Iraq considers the MEK to be terrorists and wants them to leave the country. The MEK, also called the People’s Mujahedeen of Iran, wants to move back to their old home at Camp Ashraf northeast of the capital.

Foreign diplomats who visited the dusty complex of former U.S housing containers described the conditions as acceptable. Some said the conditions there looked good compared to other refugee camps.

“I wouldn’t choose to live here, but when we talk about refugees … and what their living conditions are all over the world, this should be considered exceptional,” said Ramon Molina, the Spanish Embassy’s deputy chief of mission.

“It is not very good, but it is not bad also, said Pakistani diplomat Saif Khwaja. “The people who are living here are not from Iraq, and the Iraqi government is bearing the burden of these people.”

The MEK complains they are not allowed to leave and they live without reliable electricity, air condition or water supplies.

“This is not a place to live in. This is not a camp. This is only a prison,” said Liberty resident Homa Roboby, 28. “They are trying to make a life here that is intolerable.”

The MEK is an opposition group to Tehran’s clerical regime. Several thousand of its members were given sanctuary in Iraq by dictator Saddam Hussein. But the Shiite-led government in Baghdad, which is bolstering its ties with Iran, says its members are living in Iraq illegally.

The group is also designated as a terrorist organization by the United States but Washington is currently weighing whether to take them off the list — a decision that will be made in upcoming weeks.

Camp Liberty was designed as a compromise way-station for the U.N. to speed the exiles out of Iraq peacefully. Iraqi security forces have launched two deadly raids since 2009 on the MEK’s longtime home at Camp Ashraf, an inclusive mini-city that the exiles never wanted to leave.

At Liberty, the exiles live in cramped portable housing units left behind by the U.S. military, which occupied the base until it withdrew its troops from Iraq last December. They receive medical attention in a former first aid station. And they eat in a former U.S. dining hall complete with flat-screen TVs that looks very much like how the military left it — with the addition of fresh flowers on tables.

A small patch of yellow sunflowers was planted outside the dining hall, and twinkly lights were strung around posts and from the ceilings in an attempt to brighten up an area that has been dingy if sufficient for inhabitants long before the MEK arrived.

Most of the exiles wore loose clothes in khaki and other muted solid colors, and swarmed the visitors with their grievances. “Message fully understood,” one British diplomat said repeatedly.

The Associated Press and Iraq’s state-run TV were also on the tour in the first time the government has allowed journalists inside Liberty since the MEK began moving there earlier this year.

The exiles’ local leader, Abbas Davari, called the camp “dilapidated” and complained that the Iraqi government has delayed the MEK from moving generators to Liberty from Ashraf, and stymied construction of a new water treatment system.

Gorges Bakoos, who is overseeing the issue for the government, said officials are trying to solve both problems. In the meantime, he said, each exile receives at least 200 liters of water every day, above the U.N. standard of 120 daily liters per refugee. And he said residents already get electricity around the clock — unlike most Iraqis who only get a few hours each day.

The exiles denied that. “In front of you, they say one thing, but once you go — no way,” said Youssef Mahoozi, 51, who lived at Ashraf for 25 years before moving to Liberty six months ago.

The next group of exiles will move within days from Ashraf to Liberty, where U.N. will process their refugee applications and try to find counties to accept them. After that, an estimated 200 will remain at Ashraf for a few more weeks as they try to sell property left behind to traders.

The U.N. has interviewed about 90 Liberty residents but has yet to find any countries that will take them. “We are in dire need of countries coming forward to offer their help,” Gyorgy Busztin, deputy U.N. envoy to Iraq, told the diplomats.

BY Lara Jakes of AP

September 13, 2012 0 comments

The MEK; Baath Party Accomplice

The MEK frustrated with Tariq al-Hashemi’s death sentence

The MEK frustrated with the Iraqi court’s decision to pass a death sentence on fugitive Iraqi Vice-President Tariq al-Hashemi, has launched a stinging attack on the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The MEK frustrated with Tariq al-Hashemi's death sentence

After an Iraqi court on Sunday sentenced Hashemi – who has been convicted of running a death squad and is currently on the run in Turkey – to hang for the murder of a lawyer and a brigadier general, his terrorist counterparts, the Mujahedin e-Khalq organization couldn’t hide its anger by issuing a statement condemning the Iraqi court’s verdict.

The MEK with its hands stained in the blood of thousands of innocent people, is now supporting an escapee Iraqi official who is convicted of facilitating terrorist operations.

A defected member of the Mujahedin e-Khalq organization who was also Massoud Rajavi’s personal translator, had recently revealed the close cooperation between al-Hashemi and the MEK.

In his remarks in an interview he said he knows some Iraqi oppositions and political figures supporting the MEK, who are taking huge money from the organization directly or indirectly.

September 13, 2012 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq Organization's Propaganda System

MEK shocked by diplomats visits to Liberty

According to AP, a group of international delegations and diplomats to Baghdad visited camp Liberty today and disscussed possibilities of helping individual MEK members to settle in countries out of Iraq. MEK shocked by diplomats visits to Liberty

According to the report, visitors had a general positive view of Iraq`s efforts to help UN moving the unwanted group out. "Foreign diplomats who visited the dusty complex of former U.S housing containers described the conditions as acceptable. Some said the conditions there looked good compared to other refugee camps."

Pakistani diplomat Saif Khwaja said, “The people who are living here are not from Iraq, and the Iraqi government is bearing the burden of these people.”

On the otherside, MEK was shocked of the visit and has called it a propaganda show. It expressed its dissatisfaction by adding that there was no enough time to discuss the issues with diplomats.

It seems that dissatisfaction of MEK is a result of loosing its safe heaven in Ashraf, where all the ideological and terrorist trainings could be secretly provided. Out of Ashraf and in a more free location, controlling its members is harder. As at least 4 men has escaped Mek`s authority in Camp Liberty.

September 13, 2012 0 comments

Former members of the MEK

Hamed Moradi escape Camp Liberty

Hamed Moradi is the third person to run away Temporary Transit Location (Camp Liberty) during the two past weeks. He is from Khoramabad, Lorestan. Previously Mr. Hassan Sharqi from Hamed Moradi escape Camp Liberty Shahsavar, Mazandaran and Mr. Ablodkarim Ebrahimi from Ilam succeeded to escape camp Liberty after 24 years of imprisonment in the cult of Rajavi.

Following their release, families of other cult members who are from the above mentioned cities have been contacting us in the hope of getting news about their loved ones held as hostages in the MKO. They have had no news from their children in 10 to 30 years of their imprisonment. Regarding the recent escape from the cult and their eventual contacting with their families, other families got hopeful to see the release of their families.

Although, they are told that their children have no access to telephone unless they step out of the Camp, they think that all members were released. A mother’s message from Ilam:”For God’s sake, tell my son, Sattar Kheiri to call his old mother, I’m dying.”

Translated By Nejat Society

September 10, 2012 0 comments

MEK Camp Ashraf

Ashraf Camp to be evacuated of MKO by end of this month

Police sources said today that the anti-Iranian Ashraf Camp shall be fully evacuated by the end of this month. Ashraf Camp to be evacuated of MKO by end of this month

The source told Aswat al-Iraq that 2400 members of the camp were moved to Freedom Camp near Baghdad airport in six groups.

There are 800 members remaining who will be moved in two batches; the first will comprise of 600 members and the second 200.

The Camp shall be fully closed by the end of this month, the sources confirmed.

It was intended for the camp to be the headquarters of Dijla Operations Command, which includes Diala and Kirkuk military operations, due to the site’s location.

Iraq agreed with the United Nations to evacuate Ashraf Camp, Diala, 57 km northeast of the capital, Baghdad, and move its anti-Iranian members to an alternate camp near Baghdad before moving to another haven.

Ashraf Camp is the military camp of anti-Iranian Mujahidi Khalq (The People), which was regarded by the United States, Iraq and Iran as a terrorist organization, unlike the European Union which lifted it is name from terrorist organizations in 2009.

The members of the organization lack any legal position in Iraq, but the Iraqi government pledged to close it by the end of 2011.

September 10, 2012 0 comments

Former members of the MEK

Eyewitness: condition at Liberty was one hundred percent better than Ashraf

SFF interviews Hassan Sharqi

Mr. Hassan Sharqi who could release himself from Camp Liberty (Temporary Transit Location) SFF interviews Hassan Sharqi on August 22nd, 2012 was interviewed by Sahar Family Foundation a few days after his defection. The following is the interview which was translated by Nejat Society.

SFF: Please introduce yourself.

Hassan Sharqi: I am Hassan Sharqi. I was taken as a War Prisoner by Iraqi forces in 1980 and I was in Iraq POW’s camps for 9 years. I joined the MKO in 1981 because of the difficult conditions in Iraqi camps. After a while, I found out that I was detained in a worse situation. I still had to stay imprisoned but this time in the cult of Rajavi. I asked to leave the organization twice, in 2008 and in 2012 but they didn’t accept my demand. Instead, they held long-time meetings to punish me. Since Camp Liberty belongs to the United Nations, I decided to announce my defection during the interview and not to get back to the organization.

SFF: During the years you were in the MKO, how many times did you contact with your family?

HS: Except the nine years of my imprisonment in Iraqi prison that I used to write letter, I had no contact with my family during the 24 years that I was in Camp Ashraf. About one and a half years ago, my brother called to me via loudspeakers from the eastern side of the Camp. He wanted to visit me but I wasn’t allowed to meet him because of the severe controlling
conditions in the group and the way the officials treated us. My brother is back in Iran now.

SFF: how influential was the families’ presence at the camp?

HS: it was extra ordinarily influential. When their voice was heard in the camp, it was very motivating. Members are stuck there, they are waiting the day they can join their family. Some could risk and escape the camp to set themselves free. After each escape, supervision and guarding was enhanced so it became harder and harder for others to leave the Camp.

SFF: what kind of communication facilities did you have in the Camp?

HS: I, myself had no access to communication tools like cell phone, telephone or the Internet. These tools were only accessible for high ranking members.

SFF: why doesn’t the MKO allow members to contact their families?

HS: mainly because they fear the collapse of the cult. They fear that members be absorbed by the families. That’s why Massoud Rajavi, the cult leader, calls the families as mercenary and enemy. He is afraid of them. He says that the Iranian regime wants to stop you by wife and life and eventually to stop you from struggling.

SFF: In which phase were you transferred to TTL?

HS: I was moved in the third convoy.

SFF: can you describe the condition at Camp Liberty?

HS: about water, electricity, food and settlement facilities, I believe that the condition at Liberty was one hundred percent better than Camp Ashraf. American forces have previously been in TTL, they’ve left their equipments there and now the MKO is using them. About kitchen and preservation equipments, Camp Ashraf has never had such amenities.
About living conditions, if the authorities housed the members according to what the UNHCR had assigned, the place would be the best. The beds and closets are very good. Each Conex has three air conditioners. But out of 40 Conexes the authorities allocated only 20 ones to members’ accommodation and the rest were allocated to offices and working place.

SFF: the MKO says that it had no possibility for planting trees? What does it mean?

HS: in my idea, there is no need for planting trees or building side walks and streets if the site is a temporary one, there is no need for asphalted streets. They want to make a new base because they’re losing Ashraf. What they do has nothing to do with a Temporary Transit Location. Secondly, everyone knows that planting trees in this hot season is a vain work. The trees will go dry. This is just to keep members busy so that they cannot think of anything else.

SFF: did the MKO conserve its organizational structure at Camp Liberty?

HS: yes, it did . They accepted to move to liberty because Iraqi forces were not involved. Camp Ashraf consist three parts. They moved them all to Liberty. They didn’t want the organizational structure to be understood. They divided the forces in 40 quarters that were given to them. They separated each part from the others using curtains because they didn’t want forces of each unit communicate with the other one. You may not believe that in the world of satellites and the Internet, we weren’t able to communicate with the person next to us. They disagree with any form of communication devices. Brainwashing sessions including Current Operation, Weekly Cleansing and Organizational meetings were held more severely and more frequently than the ones that were held at camp Ashraf.

SFF: where was your interview with UNAMI?

HS: on August22, I was interviewed by UNAMI representatives who were installed in camp Liberty together with 15 other members.

SFF: did they hold any meeting for you before the interview?

HS: yes, on August 21, I was told to be at the commandant’s office at 9 O’clock. Two officials, Rasoul and Mohammad Bakhshayee tried to manipulate our minds about the following day’s interview. The meeting took three and a half hours long. They told us that we should claim that the conditions of life were not good at liberty and we had problems with water and electricity. We had to say that we had had contacts with our families before coming to liberty and we had no meetings except Current Operation. They asked us to say that food supplies were very little and Iraqi forces didn’t let us reach food easily. They told us to tell lies.

SFF: why did you decide to leave the group?

HS: I spent 33 years of my life in camp Rumadia (9 years) and Camp Ashraf (24 years) as a prisoner. I found out that the MKO was a liar and just wanted to maintain its establishment from collapse. Thus, I asked to leave the group twice but they refused my demand. On the interview day, I used the opportunity and said everything to the authorities of HCR. I told them about the reality of the organization and that I didn’t want to get back any more. I was serious in my decision.

SFF: do you think there are other people in the group who are willing to leave it?

HS: during the years of imprisonment, the MKO has manipulated members by brainwashing sessions and deceitful words of leaders so no one is able to make a serious decision until he is helped from the outside world. They have no idea of the world they would enter after defection.

SFF: what do you want to do after your release?

HS: First of all, I want to hire an attorney to sue the MKO leaders in Iraqi judiciary in order to reveal the atrocities they committed against me in those 24 years. Then, I’m determined to return to my country even if I am alive for a few days. I am an Iranian; I shouldn’t be far from my territory.

SFF: Thanks for your time.

HS: thank you, I know that SFF has played a major role to denounce the Cult of Rajavi. I want to continue denouncing Massoud Rajavi and the crimes he committed.

September 9, 2012 0 comments

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