Page 736 – Nejat Society

A comment on the expulsion of Iranian Rebels

Iraq to expel Iranian rebels once it takes over camp from US

In June 2004, under the Geneva Conventions the United States granted “protected status” to 3,000 members of an Iranian opposition group interned in Iraq.

Listed as a terrorist organization, an US-led coalition disarmed these members of the People’s Mujahideen. Since 2004, they have been held in Camp Ashraf, northeast of Baghdad under the protection of the United States government.

On December 22, the Iraqi government announced their intent to expel the Iranian exile group. An expulsion, which has been long sought by the Shiite-led government, will become feasible once the U.N. mandate that regulates the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq and gave the Iranian opposition group protected status expires at the end of the year (2008).

“Iraqi national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie on Saturday traveled to the camp with several other government officials to deliver the message to members of the Mujaheddin-e Khalq, or MEK, an Iranian opposition group that was closely aligned with deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein but has been under U.S. military protection since shortly after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

The government informed the group that it would soon assume responsibility for security at Camp Ashraf and that residents would be repatriated unless they find a third country willing to take them. The U.S. military currently protects Camp Ashraf, which is 40 miles north of Baghdad.

‘Staying in Iraq is not an option for them,’ the government said in a statement issued Sunday. The Iranian government has long called for the group’s expulsion.

The statement did not set a deadline for removing the MEK. Iraqi officials have pledged to treat the group’s members humanely but have made their disdain for the MEK clear. The delegation that visited the camp included officials of the Defense and Interior ministries as well as Iraqi intelligence officials.

The statement also said the group is barred from participating in political activities and ordered it to cease media campaigns.

The Shiite-led Iraqi government, which has close ties to Iran, has for years threatened to shut down Camp Ashraf because it regards the MEK, also known as the People’s Mujaheddin Organization of Iran, as a terrorist organization.”

The MEK was founded in the 1960s in opposition to the late shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. They were accused of carrying out several attacks in Iran, including some targeting U.S. officials.

When Iraq and Iran were at war during the 1980’s, the MEK relocated its headquarters to Iraq where they were embraced by Saddam Hussein who provided them with weapons and financial support.

According to the Kurds and Shiites, these rebels are guilty of suppressing the failed Kurdish and Shiite uprisings that followed the Persian Gulf War.

“Shortly after the 2003 invasion, the U.S. military persuaded the MEK to disarm and offered to protect the group. The arrangement was awkward because it tasked the U.S. military with sheltering a group that remains on the State Department’s terrorism list.

The group’s charismatic leader, Maryam Rajavi, is based in Paris, but France and many other countries have been reluctant to resettle the group’s members.

Also Sunday, Iraq’s Interior Ministry issued a statement calling the recent detention of ministry officials by a special unit that reports directly to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ‘a brazen act of political retribution.”

On New Year’s Day, Iraq’s Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced that he would expel the Iranian armed opposition group from the country after taking over their base from US forces.

“Based on taking over everything and in accordance with our constitution and our policies of opening up to our neighbours… our forces are going to take full control of the camp where the People’s Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran (PMOI) live,’ Maliki said.

Maliki was speaking to reporters on the sideline of a ceremony during which the United States handed over to Iraqi forces security control of the Green Zone, symbol of the American occupation of the country.”

Maliki made it clear that the PMOI is a terrorist organization and, therefore, cannot and will not operate in Iraq. Iraq officials are in fear that the PMOI will create a political crisis in contradiction with their constitution.

Maliki while making it perfectly clear that Iraq is no longer a home for the rebels, indicated that the rebels would be treated in accordance with international laws. Iraq will not force the rebels to return to Iran. They will instead give them the opportunity to either go back to Iran or another country.

“Maliki, who was speaking ahead of a visit Saturday to Tehran, told Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in March that he would take steps to ensure that Iraq was not used by ‘terrorists’ from Al-Qaeda, or from Iranian rebel groups.

Last month the White House said it received assurances from Baghdad that the rebel group will not be expelled to a country where they may be persecuted, apparently excluding their return to Iran.”

Pumabydesign

January 5, 2009 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq 's Function

MKO futile efforts to survive as a Guerrilla force

The armed struggle is mostly defined as Guerilla warfare which is considered as the unconventional warfare in which the guerrilla army uses mobile tactics This shows the importance of Camp Ashraf while MKO has no public support to rely on, no weapon to fight with and no border to launch cross border attacks. (ambushes, raids, etc) to fight a larger army or enemy.

According to Wikipedia this term (guerrilla) means “little war” in Spanish and the concept acknowledges a conflict between armed civilians against a powerful nation state army. Also, as Che Guevara, the Argentine revolutionist, writes in his book “Guerrilla Warfare”:

”the guerrilla band is an armed nucleus, the fighting vanguard of the people. It draws its great force from the mass of the people themselves “

In China, the Maoist Theory of People’s War believes that the guerrilla earns population’s support by distributing propaganda. To answer the question “why does the guerrilla fighter fight?” Ernesto Che Guevara responds:

”the guerrilla fighter is a social reformer that he takes up arms responding to the angry protest of the people against their oppressors.”

Therefore, as the most revolutionary guerrilla leaders believe the support of the population is of great importance to guerrilla fighters to provide shelter, supply, finance and intelligence for them. So having the base of the people guarantees the success of a guerrilla movement and this is what the MKO lacks. Instead they could operate by enjoying the protection of the friendly regime of Saddam Hussein that provided them with funds, weapons, military training and bases, but the support of Baath regime for MKO just made their situation among the masses of Iranian population worst because their cooperation with the enemy of Iran turn these freedom fighters into traitors who have been Saddam’s mercenary forces for 3 decades. The experts think that relationships with civil populations are one of the most important factors in the guerrilla fighters’ success or failure.

MKO lost its public support in three phases. The first phase happened following their use of terror after the Islamic Revolution, when they launched terror operations in civil targets and assassinated a large number of their compatriots. Like the communist forces in the Philippines and Malaysia, these strikes helped turn civilian opinion against the so-called freedom fighters. Such tactics had no result except the withdrawal of the support of Iranians for MKO terrorists.

As mentioned above the second phase of the withdrawal of public support for MKO was after their cooperation with Saddam dictatorship during the eight years of Iran- Iraq war in which the MEK served as Saddam’s private army, provided intelligence for Baathist Intelligence services. MKO bases donated by Saddam Hussein were mostly located near Iranian border of which is an important factor in guerrilla warfare but after the fall of Saddam, their bases were reduced to the one in the Northern part of Baghdad, Camp Ashraf, in Diala province. Thus after the American invasion to Iraq and the take over of Camp Ashraf by the US army, the MEK were restricted to their only remote base, Ashraf.

The third phase of the public hatred toward MKO was as recent as the visits made by the families of captured MKO members in Camp Ashraf. Families of MEK/MKO members were the only people who were considered as sympathizers by MKO leaders but they are also turning to their enemies because they are seriously seeking the visit of their beloved ones who are captives of MKO cult in Camp Ashraf. The best example is their former supporter, Mustafa Muhammadi who has appealed for the arrest of Camp Ashraf leaders who have kept his daughter for years.

Another important element in guerrilla warfare is weapon of which the NLA had plenty of, due to their ex-master Saddam Hussein’s donations .But they had to submit all their weapons to the US army that disarmed the group after the seizure of Camp Ashraf in 2003.

Nowadays the MKO lacks public support ,weapon and also border but their only last resort includes Camp Ashraf that itself is supposed to be handed over to Iraqi Government and eventually to be shut down.

MKO leaders find no way except prolonging their stay in Camp Ashraf, Iraq since their vital need is now awning a location where they can survive as a coercive army.

This shows the importance of Camp Ashraf while MKO has no public support to rely on, no weapon to fight with and no border to launch cross border attacks.

January 5, 2009 0 comments

Maryam Rajavi

The Real visage of Maryam Rajavi

Commonly, everyone who stands in front of a camera is willing to express a cheerful mood and adopts a positive posture to take a photo of good quality. However, this norm has some exceptions. For instance, there are cases in which individuals try intentionally to present a depressed, annoyed, disappointed, and unpleasant mood in front of a camera. From a psychological point of view, these individuals suffer from some complexes and a sense of despair to the point that bear not to be seen pleased even for a moment. A photo taken of Maryam Azdanlu, MKO’s second leader now in the absence of her husband, when visiting the Holocaust memorial in Berlin, is the subject of this paper. It can be considered her worst photo appearing up to now in websites among her countless photos put in allied as well as rival websites. In fact, putting this photo beside others may leave everyone with an uneasy feeling.

Her mood is not to be attributed to her sympathy arousing from visiting Jews shambles since her past history shows that even in most terrible and intolerable situations, Maryam Azdanlu has managed to control herself, conceal her real feelings,

Here, we intend to grasp the implied meaning of this photo. Her mood is not to be attributed to her sympathy arousing from visiting Jews shambles since her past history shows that even in most terrible and intolerable situations, Maryam Azdanlu has managed to control herself, conceal her real feelings, thus standing with her Giaconda-like smile in front of camera lenses. There remains the idea that this has been a hunted photo in which the photographer caught a moment she was representing her unmasked and with no celebrity posture for reporters. The photo is taken when she is no one but Maryam Rajavi with her own personality, feelings, and emotions free from any pretension and stilted gesture.

In fact, this photo may be considered the most exact presentation of Maryam Azdanlu untainted of any razzle-dazzle in a vestibule of informal status and position. It is for the first time she is seen using no make-up, with wrinkles on her forehead, hollow cheeks and eyes, wrinkled skin, etc. Let us finish these descriptions lest annoying her womanish and tender feelings.

This photo is better to be equated with the moments when Maryam is engaged in a never ceasing struggle with herself within her Auvers-sur-Oise camp behind the high walls of Mojahedin fortress in the heart of Europe. It represents the times when she is heavily engaged in internal conflicts with herself to reconcile her numerous inner selves that are irreconcilable with her womanish nature and have long been tormenting her soul. First, her aristocratic self rooted in Qajar dynasty and her class conflict resulting from being engaged in cultist relations. Second, a cultist self rooted in the ideological revolution of Masoud Rajavi. Third, a wretched self rooted in all her political failures and despairs. Fourth, an organizational self rooted in lengthy ideological sessions of Mojahedin, lack of sleep, weekly cleansing sessions, and Jari operations. Finally, her womanish self rooted in her loss of family, husband, and child as well as being accused of infidelity.

In a nutshell, Maryam is to be considered the most miserable woman in MKO due to her internal conflicts and tensions. Also, she is one of the most piteous women of the world since she has met a destiny similar to that of other ill-famed women in the history who played a key role in the historical events and crises and has been exposed to paradoxical judgment on the part of the history. It is only God who knows her suffering in her formal visits of Auvers-sur-Oise families and the time when she hugs and kisses their children yearning to have a real family and life free from any playacting. She is well aware that she is not a leader but a big loser loosing her youth, family, country, fortune and freedom. It is only Maryam who can feel the bitter taste of her out-and-out defeat.

January 4, 2009 0 comments

Iraq

Mujahedin’s stay in Iraq doesn’t tolerated

Al-Maliki: There is one thing that will not be tolerated and that is for them (Mojahedin Khalq, Rajavi cult) to stay in Iraq

Q: What will become of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO/PMOI) after US forces relinquish the provision of Camp Ashraf security to the Iraqi government?

Al-Maliki: Today, another one of the results of the restoration of Iraqi sovereignty was that Camp Ashraf was returned to Iraqi security forces. In this camp there are organization members, of course I don’t acknowledge them nor approach them as members of an organization, but anyway there are people living in the camp whose stay in Iraq is illegal and are therefore not permitted to reside in our country.

They do not have the necessary requirements to be granted refugee status. Furthermore, Iraq is determined to put an end to this [Mujahedin Khalq] Organization because it is effecting relations between Iran and Iraq. This organization participated in many operations that harmed Iranian and Iraqi civilians under the Saddam regime.

This organization has perhaps committed acts that have caused more harm to Iraqis than to Iranians. We have been clear and frank on the issue both before we took control of the security of the camp and even after we received control. They cannot remain in Iraq. They can return to Iran or go to any other country but remaining in Iraq is not an option for them.

We will not force them to choose among these options. There is also the possibility that Iran will grant them amnesty if they would so choose to return. If they do not, there may be countries that would open their doors to them. They are free to choose.

But all this aside, there is one thing that will not be tolerated and that is for them to stay in Iraq.

—————–

Full interview:

Iraq: We won’t bow to pressure about Iran

The following is a Press TV interview with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki conducted on the New Year and ahead of his visit to Iran.

Al-Maliki: In the very beginning I would like to thank you for this interview and congratulate the New Year. I ask God to make this year a year of peace, safety, prosperity and stability in both Arab and Muslim countries and the world.

You have asked me about what is happening today. If we look at the hardships imposed on the Iraqi nation because of international punishments and the country being subject to Chapter VII of the UN Charter and the military adventures and the wars, the executions and the starvation and the hunger and the threats to our sovereignty, which led to the invasion of the country by foreign forces stationed here, I must say that the Iraqis have endured a great tragedy.

But we have named this day, the 1st of January, as a national day. The Iraqis and all of the people from other countries deserve this day and have to congratulate us for this day because it is a national feast, a feast for our sovereignty and a feast for the result of the efforts of the Iraqi nation today. We have received the symbol of sovereignty, the presidential palace, and the green zone, and the power over Iraqi skies. We will also receive the rest.

Today Iraqis have brought into force the provisions of the withdrawal agreement and complete sovereignty will thus be restored to the Iraqi people, the Iraqi government and the armed forces.

For us this is a victory at many levels, a victory in our bid to see freedom from Chapter VII of the UN Charter, a victory in our bid to regain sovereignty, and a victory in building the army and promoting the political process, building a trained and professional army capable to implementing the law and order in the country and a political process capable to improving political procedures. It is from here that the journey starts to take the Iraqis to the sea of freedom.

Q: There have been intensions to isolate Iran politically and introduce further punitive measure on the Iranian economy. Are there any pressures on the Iraqi government on this subject?

I can say openly and frankly that the Iraqi government will not force any kind of pressure or anything else for that matter on Iran or any other country in the region. We will defy any pressure brought against us to do anything that is not in line with our constitution, our policies, our beliefs and our national interests. I can say with great courage!

We will approach issues this way not only in the case of Iran, but also when our neighboring and regional countries or even other countries are concerned. I want to emphasize that it is the will of the Iraqi government, the national unity government of Iraq, to be loyal only to the Iraqi nation and its parliament and to abide by the constitution.

It is the law that opens doors to friendship and relations and prevents us from bowing to the will of others. Our constitution has determined that after today Iraq will no longer be the scene of wars and conflict and a source of regional instability and a place where foreign powers hold power and influence.

Iraq does not want to experience isolation and does not seek to create conflicts or fuel conflicts in the region; we want a situation void of any problems. We want regional peace and cooperation as we will remain a neighbor of Iran, Turkey and Syria and are therefore determined to continue our interaction and relations with them.

All our relations take mutual respect into consideration and that is why my upcoming visits to turkey and Iran and other regional countries will be based on policies that are acceptable for the Iraqi people; policies that they trust.

In addition, the policy of our government will be to resolve all the problems we have inherited from the Saddam regime. We will pursue this with regional countries. Some of these conflicts relate to our borders, some relate to the wars and their consequences and some relate to the common water, oil and natural resources we have with out neighbors. Our policy is to find solutions and not to prolong problems.

We believe that many regional countries will respond positively to our requests to solve all the problems that have been created by the policies and adventurism of the former regime. We have attempted to limit conflicts and tensions to build regional confidence in Iraq and to show that we seek agreements and resolutions and not to intensify difficulties.

Q: What will become of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) after US forces relinquish the provision of Camp Ashraf security to the Iraqi government?

But all this aside, there is one thing that will not be tolerated and that is for them to stay in Iraq.

January 4, 2009 0 comments

The MEK Expulsion from Iraq

Iraq Seeks to Send Terrorist Group Out

Iraq said on Wednesday it wants thousands of the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) members at a camp north of Baghdad to leave the country, although it does not plan to expel them by force.

Iraqi forces take over responsibility for Camp Ashraf, home to 3,500 MKO terrorists, on Jan. 1 as part of a bilateral deal governing the presence of US troops who guarded the camp in the past.

The US embassy said this week some US troops will remain at the camp to help Iraqi authorities protect it after it passes to Iraqi control, but the MKO members say they fear Baghdad may still try to shut it and drive them out.

US forces declared the MKO terrorists “protected persons” after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam. Baghdad and Washington both consider the exiles to be a terrorist group.

“The Iraqi government will deal with the people in this camp in a humane way and according to internationally adopted standards, the Iraqi constitution and Iraqi laws,” Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement.

“The government of Iraq does not have any intention to expel the people of this organization or force them to leave Iraq. But it calls on those people to find another place outside Iraq in any state that may accept them as refugees, or for those who wish to return to Iran to go of their own free will,” it said.

“Iraq is no longer a suitable place for them because the Iraqi constitution does not permit dealings with an organization classified as a terrorist group.”

Meantime, a senior Iraqi official said Iraq has decided to shut down the Camp Ashraf as soon as possible, expel the MKO members from Iraq and close their file forever. Political advisor of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), Mohsen Al-Hakim told the Islamic republic news agency that Baghdad considered the MKO as a terrorist group.

Most of its members are based in Ashraf Camp north of Baghdad. According to Al-Hakim, continued presence of the terrorist group in Iraq would be against Paragraph 33 of the Resolution 687 of the United Nations Security Council.

It would also be against the Iraqi Constitution, decisions made by the country’s presidency council and approvals of the Iraqi parliament, added the advisor.

The Paragraph 33 of the UN Security Council resolution, approved in April 3, 1991, required the government of Iraq to expel all terrorist groups that are present in the country.

The MKO members have two options of either returning home or leaving for another country but they cannot remain in Iraq any longer, Al-Hakim said stressing that the terrorist group was legally in an unclear situation as its members are neither considered refugees nor prisoners of war.

According to reports by human rights advocates, former members of MKO who returned home were living in good conditions, Al-Hakim added.

The advisor stressed that the grouplet has been barred from conducting all political, social and media activities on Iraqi territory. He added that an Iraqi battalion was currently in charge of providing external security of Ashraf Camp while its internal affairs are undertaken by the foreign nationals department of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

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

The MKO is on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations subject to an EU-wide assets freeze, and has been designated by the US government as a foreign terrorist organization. Yet, the MKO puppet leader, Maryam Rajavi, who has residency in France, regularly visits Brussels and despite the ban enjoys 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 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.

Leaders of the group have been fighting to shed its terrorist tag after a series of bloody anti-Western attacks in the 1970s, and nearly 30 years of violent struggle against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In recent months, high-ranking MKO members have been lobbying governments around the world in the hope of acknowledgement as a legitimate opposition group. The UK initiative, however, has prompted the European Union to establish relations with the exiled organization now based in Paris. The European Court of First Instance threw its weight behind the MKO in December and annulled its previous decision to freeze its funds.

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.

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

Iraq Seeks to Send Terrorist Group Out

January 4, 2009 0 comments

Organizations

The Third View on MKO during 2008

Download PDF file

https://www.nejatngo.org/en TheThird View on MKO during 2008
Iran’s Nuclear Program Never Existed	New America Media, News Analysis, William O. Beeman
Re: Letter from Mr. Paulo Casaca, MEP, to the Canadian Government	Centre for Thought, Dialogue and Human Rights in Iran “ Toronto (CTDHR),
Britain accused of failing to outlaw banned terror groups	The Time Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor of The Times, and Zahid Hussain
Symposium on Terrorism in Iraq	Centre for International and Inter-governmental Studies of the University of Baghdad
Javad Firuzmand interviewed by Mehrdad Farahmand	BBC Persian
Key figures in the Israel lobbies support a terrorist group that has fired on US troops	Danny Postel
Massoud Khodabandeh replies and”Alseyassah”explains	Alseyassah
Four Mojahedin-e Khalq combatants arrested in Iraq	SINAN SALAHEDDIN, The Associated Press
British Government fights to keep ban on main Iranian opposition group (MKO)	Clare Dyer, legal editor The Guardian
CIA budget to supply and train MKO(Proscribed as a terrorist organisation in US!) in Iraq	Daily Telegraph
The Irony of ‘Appeasement’	Diary Entry by Dan Alba
POLITICS: Iran Nuke Laptop Data Came from Terror Group	By Gareth Porter-IPS
The presence of MKO terrorists prohibited by Iraqi constitution	By Tina Susman and Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers
Raymond Tanter’s Quest to Free Iran	Will Sommer – georgetownvoice
Bush,Iran and Bomb	Eric Laurent
Nazi Biglari’s interview with Rayan Crocker	VOA
UNHCR deplores refugee expulsion by Turkey which resulted in four deaths	UNHCR Press Releases
MKO terrorist organisation predicts …	George Arnold, The Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Terror Most Imperial	Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
Iran Busts CIA-Backed Terror Group	Paul Joseph Wattson-Prison Planet
MKO cries wolf again over Camp Ashraf	Media With Conscience – Dan Alba
Anniversary of Raid on a Sect	The Observor
Spy-Agents of An EP Intergroup	THE HERALED
Atlas of Radical Islam	Xavier Rauf
Iraqis demand US hands over control of MKO terrorist base	Al-Araghiah
Mojahedin Khalq Leader on trial in USA	Associated Press
Mujahedin Khalq out of Iraq, into Britain	Francis Elliott, Deputy Political Editor –The Time
Britain’s Immoral Support of Terrorists	Paul shedon Foote
IPC: Terrorist Financial Involvement	Paul shedon Foote
US funding anti-Iran terror groups	inthenews
Military action ‘would destabilise Iraq’	Patrick Cockburn-The Independent
MKO provokes violence in Iraq	Voice of Iraq
Crown makes its case against Iranian refugee	Vancouver Sun
Iranian widow must go to trial in NY	Associated Press
How Obama Could Tame Iran	News week
The Risk of a US-Iran Proxy War	NIAC
America Is Already Committing Acts of War Against Iran	Scott Ritter
PMOI obstacle to peace	UPI
MKO Terrorists Driving American Foreign Policy	Constance Tanter
CIA actively supporting Mojahedin Khalq Terrorists	George Arnold
The lies of Hiroshima live on	Guardian
The issues of PMOI and mass graves.	Voice of Iraq
IPC: Pentagon or Terrorist Funding?	Paul shedon Foote
Iran mulls repatriation for MKO members	BBC Monitoring
Iraq Expels Anti-Iranian Group	Trumpet.com
So What to Do with Those Mujahedin Terrorists?	Washington Times
The secretary of US embassy exposed PMOI leadership	Fars News Agency-The Second secretary of US embassy
PMOI Members are no ‘freedom fighters’	Tobias Pflüger
Holy Fighters in the Sidewalk	DerStandard
German Greens say no to Mojahedin Khalq	Press TV
Italy considers PMOI as terrorist Group	ISNA
MKO implicated in AMIA bombing	The Canadian Jewish News
Iraq says Iranian opposition exiles must leave	Reuters
Iraq vows to expel Iranian opposition group	AFP
Iraq Threatens to Expel Iranian Rebels	Washington Post
Unpardonable Neoconservative Treason	Paul shedon Foote
Baghdad not willing to give shelter to MKO	George Malbrunot, special Le Figaro correspondent
Iraq to take over security control at Iranian opposition camp	China Views.cn
Iraq seeks departure of Iranian opposition exiles	Reuters News

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January 3, 2009 0 comments

The cult of Rajavi

Inside view: You have to be totally dedicated

Arash Sametipour, spokesman for a Tehran-funded organisation called Nejat (rescue), which helps the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) defectors, left the MEK in 2001 after being arrested in Tehran when an attempt to kill the city’s police chief went wrong. Sametipour lost his hand while trying to kill himself by exploding a grenade. He spent nearly four years in prison.

"I was recruited by MEK as a student of computer engineering in northern Virginia in 1999," he told the Guardian. "They convinced me that if I wanted to be a fighter for jihad I had to abandon my parents and give up my education."

After months of training he was sent to Jordan and crossed into Iraq to Camp Ashraf.

"I had to watch videos of [MEK leader Massoud] Rajavi and write reports on my feelings. There were also meetings for self-criticism. They said you have to put away any love for belongings and for family.

"At first I resisted but you have no way out. You have no other news. I started to change in the way they wanted me to change.

"Finally in 2001 they gave me a mission. I was taken to Basra and, with the support of the Iraqi security service, was brought across the border."

He argues that closing Camp Ashraf will give MEK people the chance to escape from cult pressures and have a free choice of where to live.

Mahmoud Tabrizi, a UK-trained engineer who left Iran during the Shah’s time and joined the MEK, spent three years at Camp Ashraf in the 1990s. "You have to be totally dedicated. If you have the smallest doubt, you have to leave. I decided to go, even though I still support their activities. It’s the only army which treats deserters in the same way as its members. They paid my ticket to return to Britain," he said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/02/camp-ashraf-closure-iran-mek

January 3, 2009 0 comments

MEK Camp Ashraf

Conclusive declaration of the Peres et Evener

Conclusive declaration of the Peres et Evener(Ancient Iran, Glorious Future) on the occasion of Iraq government Confirmation in shutting down of the ASHRAF Garrison and supporting such an action

Conclusive declaration of the Peres et Evener(Ancient Iran, Glorious Future) on the occasion of Iraq government Confirmation in shutting down of the ASHRAF Garrison

Paris/France – 2008/12/25 – We, the separated members and the victims of this in humane cult who have lost our pride of life under the captivity and detention of the cult operatives and conductors. So that, we had been under the worst psychological and physical tortures. Therefore, we urge the international organizations including U. N. and all Human Rights Organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Red Cross as well as ruling leaders of the democratic and progressive states to save the life of the remaining victims who include three thousand five hundred individuals. We call for under-mentioned human activities for the maintenance of the life of these victims:

1- We call for the permission of entry into the ASHRAF Garrison where has been as a place to torture the dissidents and others psychologically and physically for many years. The military camp that consists of numerous custodies with the intention of hush-up of the any opposition and dissidence towards the ideology of the cult leader called MASSOUD RAJAVI. As a result, the victim’s families can be able to enter this camp to meet their beloved ones freely.

2- We urge Iraqi govt. to establish the conditions to every resident of the ASHRAF Garrison to have the right to choose any kind of dressing, so that, nobody has to wear military uniform contrary to his or her will and tendency, so, everyone can enjoy the right to dressing.

3- we call for the conditions that every resident of this Military Garrison can be allowed to leave or enter this military camp according to his or her own willing so that, they can enjoy the right to trip to other cities of Iraq.

4- We ask Iraqi govt. to provide the facilities of communications such as T. V., Radio, Internet and Satellite for the ASHRAF Garrison residents to communicate the other parts of the world. The bitter reality is that they have been deprived of such facilities for many years.

5-We call on the Iraqi govt. for the inauguration and opening of a new camp as the old closed camp entitled TIPF so that, the residents can be able to leave this damned ASHRAF Garrison and take shelter in the new camp. Subsequently, they can access the international Human Rights Organizations for further actions including interview and meeting therefore they can determine their destiny and future life in an open air.

6-We call for a delegation of the Human Rights Organizations to refer this camp to contact the residents without the presence of the MOJAHEDIN officials as a result, further truths can be revealed for the world regarding the perpetrated cruelty and persecution by this cult.

7-we call for a medical delegation with supervision of Without Border Doctors to attend this Garrison to visit the whole residents so that, they can obtain real information regarding every ones’ psychological and physical conditions. Then, this delegation is being expected to donate human medical assistances for the in humane cult prisoners and captives.

8- We call for the isolation and separation of these cult commanders who are 200 persons and have been involved in several crimes including "brain washing" and controlling of the victims. Therefore, these operatives must be displaced and there must not be any ideological and organized monitoring so that the victims can enjoy the right to have the free choice of their fate and the path of the life and future.

We reiterate and believe that, locking up the gate of ASHRAF and abolition of this Garrison, is a significant step in rescuing the life of the thousands victims from ominous clutch of RAJAVI (cult’s leader) and his cult operatives. Undoubtedly, RAJAVI is concern of such a condition and endeavoring therefore he and his cult operatives continue to keep the victims forcibly in the ASHRAF GARRISON by all means.

With the best wishing for the freedom of the whole captives and victims in the detention of RAJAVI’s cult and joining these victims to the free world.

Peres ET EVENER (ANCIENT IRAN, GLORIOUS Future)

January 3, 2009 0 comments

Iraq

Iraq to close camp for Iranian dissidents and expel inmates

IRAQ PLANS to close a camp for Iranian dissidents who used to cross into Iran to mount assassinations and sabotage – a decision that has sharpened political differences between Baghdad and Washington.

Camp Ashraf, about 130km north of Baghdad, came under Iraqi control yesterday in a broad security handover that forms part of the US withdrawal agreement concluded late last year.

The Iraqi government said it was “keen to execute its plans to close the camp and send its inhabitants to their country or other countries in a non-forcible manner”.

US troops disarmed the opposition group known as the Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) after the 2003 invasion. They removed hundreds of armoured vehicles donated by Saddam Hussein but kept the camp intact because some Bush administration officials allegedly saw the MEK as a potential tool for regime change in Iran.

The Shia-led government in Baghdad has forged close relations with fellow Shias in Tehran and rejects such ambitions. It insisted that the US/Iraq security agreement contains a promise that Iraq would not be used for attacks on Iran or any other country.

Under the security deal, Iraq yesterday took over the Green Zone and Saddam’s former presidential palace. Prime minister Nouri al- Maliki declared a national holiday, saying it amounted to the moment when sovereignty was restored.

The MEK helped to bring the shah’s overthrow but soon clashed with Ayatollah Khomeini and his drive to put clerics in charge of the country. Like almost every other political party and group that had created the revolution, it lost hundreds of members to torture and execution in the early 1980s.

It now describes itself as “democratic and secular”. Insisting the camp’s inmates have conducted no armed operations in Iran since 2001, Nasser Razii, a London spokesman for the group’s political arm, said: “Camp Ashraf provides hope to the Iranian nation and keeps the flame of resistance burning. We want to keep it on the doorstep of our homeland.”

The US and EU placed the MEK on their lists of terrorist organisations after the September 11th attacks. Last year, Europe’s court of first instance ruled it should be removed from the EU list on the grounds it has not carried out terrorist activities for years.

Lord Corbett, a Labour peer who has long supported the movement, and other British parliamentarians last month signed a letter to the Iraqi government urging it not to close Camp Ashraf. MPs in other European countries have made similar appeals.

Former members claim the MEK is a cult that forces members to break ties with their families, orders married couples to separate and demands total devotion. Closing the camp will restore members’ human rights, they say. MEK members though fear they will be deported to Iran, a fear Baghdad says is groundless.

The International Committee for the Red Cross has helped more than 250 to cross the border to Iran after conducting private interviews with each to ensure they are going voluntarily. – (Guardian service)

Irish Times – JONATHAN STEELE

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/world/2009/0102/1230842350664.html

January 3, 2009 0 comments

Iraq

Iraq plans to close Iranian dissidents’ border camp

Base was used in sabotage and assassination sorties

US fostered sect as tool for regime change in Tehran

Iraq plans to close a camp for Iranian dissidents who used to cross into Iran to mount assassinations and sabotage – a decision that has sharpened political differences between Baghdad and Washington.

Camp Ashraf, about 80 miles north of Baghdad, came under Iraqi control yesterday in a broad security handover that forms part of the US withdrawal agreement concluded late last year.

Iraq’s national security adviser, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, led a delegation of defence and interior ministry officials to the camp last weekend, warning its 2,500 male and 1,000 female inmates that "staying in Iraq is not an option". The Iraqi government said it "is keen to execute its plans to close the camp and send its inhabitants to their country or other countries in a non-forcible manner".

US troops disarmed the opposition group known as the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) after the 2003 invasion. They removed hundreds of armoured vehicles donated by Saddam Hussein but kept the camp intact because some Bush administration officials allegedly saw the MEK as a potential tool for regime change in Iran.

The Shia-led government in Baghdad has forged close relations with fellow Shias in Tehran and rejects such ambitions. It insisted that the US/Iraq security agreement contain a promise that Iraq would not be used for attacks on Iran or any other country.

Under the security deal Iraq yesterday took over the Green Zone and Saddam’s former presidential palace. The prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, declared a national holiday, saying it amounted to the moment when sovereignty was restored.

The MEK helped to bring the Shah’s overthrow but soon clashed with Ayatollah Khomeini and his drive to put clerics in charge of the country.

It now describes itself as "democratic and secular". Insisting the camp’s inmates have conducted no armed operations in Iran since 2001, Nasser Razii, a London spokesman for the group’s political arm, said: "Camp Ashraf provides hope to the Iranian nation and keeps the flame of resistance burning. We want to keep it on the doorstep of our homeland."

The US and EU placed the MEK on their lists of terrorist organisations after 9/11. Last year Europe’s court of first instance ruled it should be removed from the EU list on the grounds it had not carried out terrorist activities for years. Lord Corbett, a Labour peer who has long supported the movement, and other British parliamentarians last month signed a letter to the Iraqi government urging it not to close Camp Ashraf. MPs in other European countries have made similar appeals.

Former members claim the MEK is a cult that forces members to break ties with their families, orders married couples to separate and demands they devote themselves totally to the movement. Closing the camp will restore members’ human rights and allow them to decide whether to resume normal life, they say. But MEK members fear they will be deported to Iran, a fear Baghdad says is groundless.

Independent visitors to Camp Ashraf report that the inmates live in segregated barracks-style rooms. The International Committee for the Red Cross says several hundred former MEK members have left Camp Ashraf since 2003. The ICRC has helped more than 250 cross the border to Iran after conducting private interviews with each to ensure they are going voluntarily.

In spite of MEK claims that returnees face arrest and imprisonment or have been offered unfair inducements by the Iranian authorities, the ICRC is continuing the repatriation programme. "If we had any allegations of ill-treatment of people who have returned to Iran we would follow up with the authorities in Tehran," said Dorothea Krimitsas, ICRC spokesperson for the Middle East.

Jonathan Steele

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/02/camp-ashraf-closure-baghdad-iran

January 3, 2009 0 comments

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