Page 915 – Nejat Society

MEK;a terror group;a cult or a source of intelligence ?

‘ font-size: 10pt”>The State Department says MEK is a terror group. Human Rights Watch says it’s a cult. For the White House, MEK is a source of intelligence on Iran.

‘ font-size: 10pt”>May 18 – A controversial exile movement cited by President George W. Bush as a source of information on Iran’s nuclear ambitions is condemned for psychologically and physically abusing its own members in a new report by Human Rights Watch.

‘ font-size: 10pt”>In a document scheduled for public release this week, Human Rights Watch alleges that the Iranian exile group known as Mujahedine Khalq (MEK) has a history of cultlike practices that include forcing members to divorce their spouses and to engage in extended self-criticism sessions.

‘ font-size: 10pt”>More dramatically, the report states, former MEK members told Human Rights Watch that when they protested MEK policies or tried to leave the organization, they were arrested, in some cases violently abused and in other instances imprisoned. Two former recruits told the human-rights group that they were held in solitary confinement for years in a camp operated by MEK in Iraq under the protection of Saddam Hussein. MEK representatives in the United States and France, where MEK is headquartered, did not immediately respond to NEWSWEEK phone calls and an e-mail requesting comment.

‘ font-size: 10pt”>MEK has long been controversial because of its history of violent attacks in Iran, its relationship with Saddam’s regime and its background as a quasi-religious, quasi-Marxist radical resistance group founded in the era of the late Iranian shah. In 1997, the Clinton administration put MEK on the State Department’s list of foreign terrorist groups. MEK’s U.S. supporters, among whom at one point numbered dozens of members of Congress, charged that the Clinton administration only labeled MEK as a terrorist group as part of an ill-conceived attempt to improve relations with the ayatollahs who currently run Iran. However, the Bush administration added two alleged MEK front organizations to the State Department’s terrorist list in 2003.

‘ font-size: 10pt”>Despite the group’s notoriety, Bush himself cited purported intelligence gathered by MEK as evidence of the Iranian regime’s rapidly accelerating nuclear ambitions. At a March 16 press conference, Bush said Iran’s hidden nuclear program had been discovered not because of international inspections but "because a dissident group pointed it out to the world." White House aides acknowledged later that the dissident group cited by the president is the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), one of the MEK front groups added to the State Department list two years ago.

‘ font-size: 10pt”>In an appearance before a House International Relations Subcommittee a year ago, John Bolton, the controversial State Department undersecretary who Bush has nominated to become US ambassador to the United Nations, was questioned by a Congressman sympathetic to MEK about whether it was appropriate for the U.S. government to pay attention to allegations about Iran supplied by the group. Bolton said he believed that MEK "qualifies as a terrorist organization according to our criteria." But he added that he did not think the official label had "prohibited us from getting information from them. And I certainly don’t have any inhibition about getting information about what’s going on in Iran from whatever source we can find that we deem reliable."

‘ font-size: 10pt”>However, current and former senior U.S. national-security officials, who asked not to be named because they are not supposed to talk about intelligence-gathering activities, say that all the major revelations MEK publicly claims to have made regarding nuclear advances in Iran were reported in classified form and from other sources to U.S. policymakers before MEK made them public. A Western diplomat familiar with the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations component that has been monitoring Iran’s nuclear program, said that while the MEK has occasionally come up with accurate information about Iran’s nukes, the group has come up with a similar number of other tips that have not checked out.

‘ font-size: 10pt”>According to Human Rights Watch, several members of Congress, including both Republicans and Democrats, only last month attended a Washington meeting of a legal "MKO-backed" group called the National Convention for a Democratic, Secular Republic in Iran. In February, the group says, a think tank co-chaired by retired U.S. military officers called for MEK to be dropped from the State Department terrorist list and recommended that the U.S. government actively support MEK in its campaign to bring down the Iranian theocracy.

‘ font-size: 10pt”>According to administration officials, some Pentagon officials want to recruit former MEK members as U.S. secret agents who would infiltrate Iran on intelligence missions. The Pentagon has emphatically insisted that it has no plans to work with the MEK or any of the group’s members.

‘ font-size: 10pt”> According to the report, MEK, formed in 1965 by three political activists, originally was an "urban guerilla group" which participated in the struggle against the shah that resulted in the 1979 Iranian revolution and produced the current theocratic regime in Tehran.

‘ font-size: 10pt”>In an early schism following the revolution, the MEK and Abolhassan Bani Sadr, briefly Iran’s president during the 1980 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis, split away from the main revolutionary movement led by Ayatollah Khomeini and went into exile. Later, Bani Sadr in turn split from MEK after a disagreement with Massoud Rajavi, who, with his wife, Maryam, subsequently became the movement’s unchallenged leader. During the Iran-Iraq War, Saddam allowed MEK to set up several military camps in Iraq with a headquarters encampment near Baghdad known as Camp Ashraf and the group proceeded to conduct paramilitary operations against the Tehran regime, the largest of which was mounted unsuccessfully shortly after Iran agreed to a U.N.-brokered ceasefire in the Iran-Iraq War. MEK reportedly lost more than 1,000 fighters in this attack.

‘ font-size: 10pt”>According to Human Rights Watch, following this 1988 military defeat, the Rajavi’s leadership of MEK became increasingly authoritarian and cultlike. According to an MEK defector’s memoir, Rajavi claimed to have a mystical relationship with a prophet known as Imam Zaman, who is Shia Islam’s version of the long-awaited Messiah. In order to better cement their relationship with their leader, and hence ultimately their Messiah, Rajavi then instructed his followers to divorce their spouses. The group had already established a practice of "self criticism," under which members were asked to undergo their own personal "ideological revolution" by confessing personal inadequacies in cultlike confession sessions.

‘ font-size: 10pt”>Paranoid about defectors and possible infiltrators from the Tehran regime’s intelligence apparatus, in the l990s, according to Human Rights Watch, MEK leadership ordered a series of stringent "security clearances" in which "many" members were arrested by group organizers and interrogated and even imprisoned in special buildings inside the boundaries of MEK camps in Saddam-ruled Iraq. Human Rights Watch says the testimony of former MEK prisoners paints "a grim picture of how the organization treated its members, particularly those who held dissenting opinions or expressed an intent to leave the organization."

‘ font-size: 10pt”>Witnesses contacted by Human Rights Watch reported two deaths during the course of MEK internal interrogations and other cases of lengthy imprisonment. One MEK detainee interviewed by Human Rights Watch, Mohammad Hussein Sobhani, claimed to have spent eight and a half years in solitary confinement in MEK detention facilities after he started raising questions about the leadership’s policies. He said he was beaten on 11 occasions with wooden sticks and leather belts. Another former MEK member interviewed by Human Rights Watch, Farhad Javaheri-Yar, claimed to have been imprisoned in solitary confinement by the group for five years.

‘ font-size: 10pt”>Other witnesses told Human Rights Watch claimed it was the practice of MEK interrogators to tie thick ropes around prisoners’ necks and drag them along the ground. One witness told investigators: "Sometimes prisoners returned to the cell with extremely swollen necks ”their head and neck as big as a pillow." In a statement accompanying its investigative report, Joe Stork, a Human Rights Watch expert on the Middle East, commented: "The Iranian government has a dreadful record on human rights. But it would be a mistake to promote an opposition group that is responsible for serious human rights abuses.”

‘ font-size: 10pt”>By Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball

September 8, 2005 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

In the Shade of Saddam and Bush

"The police surrounded us. As my weapon jammed, I swallowed the cyanide capsule, but the poison had perhaps expired since it had no effect", remembers Arash Sametipour. The instructions were clear: "That they do not take you alive".

The terrorist, who was then 25 years old, released the safety lock of his last grenade and exploded it. Five years later and after several operations, Sametipour now has an artificial arm, but he is content with being alive and talks of brainwashing by a group that took to him close to death, the Mujahidin-e khalq.

He is not the only one who talks. The disappearance of Saddam Hussein’s regime has led to the discovery of horror hidden behind the walls of this Iranian armed opposition group.

In its report “No Exit”, published in May, Human Rights Watch revealed the abuses and violations of human rights in the camps of this organization during the last two decades. The testimonies gathered by Human Rights Watch in Iran corroborate the descriptions of solitary confinement, forced confessions, execution threats, beatings and torture of those who tried to leave the group.

To Iran’s surprise and disappointment, Iraqi occupation by the US didn’t lead to dismantling of this military group, considered terrorist by Iran, the US and the EU. Members of this group (3,534, according to data gathered last March) remain disarmed in Camp Ashraf (a hundred kilometers to the northeast of Baghdad), since April of 2003.

Washington has granted them the status of “protected people under the Fourth Geneva Convention”. This agreement brought up the distrust of the Iranian regime – which issued a public pardon last year for all members of this group.

Since then, at least 273 militants have returned to Iran. Ali Moradi, 45, is one of them. He has returned to Iran five months ago. "Iraqi captured me as prisoner at the beginning of the war and I spent nine years in their jails", he says. There he was caught by the Mujahidin. "They visited us with very negative information on what happened in Iran and offered us freedom from jail only if we joined them; we were under heavy pressure given the circumstances. Eventually, about 150 of us joined them”, he adds.

Bad years

“Our joining the Organization was immediately made public by them and it made it impossible for us to return to Iran", remembers Moradi, convinced that the 15 years that followed were as bad as the nine previous ones. “I was married and I was in touch with my wife through the Red Cross when I was in jail, but after joining the Mujahidin I could no longer do it. My family thought that I had died and my wife married another man. That isolation was part of the ideological revolution promoted by the leaders of the group.”

"They didn’t let us have feelings towards women, mothers, children, or even to speak about it with friends. We had to write daily reports on the weaknesses of our friends. According to Moradi, there were two meetings of that type: “Current, daily critical meeting which tortured the spirit, and the weekly. In weekly meetings, we were forced to write down our feelings towards the women we had imagined during the week, and we had to talk about it in public, and this is really difficult regarding our Iranian culture”.

Moradi had Marxist ideas and paid for it. “They separated me from the rest and did not let me participate in their meetings and religious ceremonies because the ideology of Mujahidin was based, at least initially, on an interpretation of Islam as a revolutionary message. I felt to be under pressure”.

Finally, five years ago he was expelled from the Organization, and according to HRW’s report, was put into internal jail of the MKO (iskan). “We were 13; a Christian, a member of an ethnic minority, and the rest were all Marxists”.

Without documentation, without contact with the outside world, the only alternative was Abu Ghraib, the notorious Iraqi prison. The most prominent MKO dissidents finished there. They were the first ones to reveal the techniques of brainwashing and arresting dissidents inside the organization. Even the arrival of the US Army couldn’t halt the leaders of the group.

"They neither had arms nor could they maintain the pressure in their prisons, so I requested to leave them; after several meetings – in which they threatened me like a prisoner – one of my friends helped me pass a message to an American officer and explain the situation for him. They transferred me to their camp and I was able to return to Iran with the assistance of the Red Cross.”

Mujahidin-e Khalq was formed 1965 as an anti-Shah group. Nevertheless, after the Islamic revolution, it did not find a place in the new order and continued to fight against the clergymen who led the revolution. A rebellion 1981 ended with its ringleaders in jail and many of its members in exile. They settled in France until 1986, when the French Government started to improve its relations with Tehran and the leadership of the group – controlled by Massoud and Maryam Rajavi – was transferred to Iraq. In the war against Iran which started in 1980, the regime of Saddam provided the group with all types of facilities, including camps and training the military forces.

Since 1988 (when the war ended) their activities were reduced, although they continued to count on the help of Baghdad for infiltration in Iran and attempting to assassinate senior Iranian authorities or official buildings. On the eve of the presidential elections in 2001, several commandos crossed the (Iraqi) border and entered Iran and tried to create chaos and also to prevent the re-election of Mohamed Khatami. For instance, they fired mortars at Police Headquarters in Vozara street. There were no dead, but it angered the authorities.

The Story of Babak Amin

The person in charge of the attacks on Vosarat street, Babak Amin, now 40, has returned to continue his studies in the field of communication that he had left in 80s. "I studied at the University of Vienna and there I made contact with the members of the group (hypocrites); I was looking for an organization which fought to bring democracy and freedom to my country, and this group’s propaganda on Iranian regime’s human rights violation attracted me.” Along with some friends, without informing their families , they went to Iraq. They received two months of military training in Jalilieh Camp in Iraq’s Kurdistan and then became members of the Organization.

The beginning of their work in MKO coincided with the arrival of the Rajavis in Baghdad and the formation of the National Liberation Army, the guerilla army and the military arm of the organization. “Camp Ashraf was established and we began to receive professional military training from Saddam’s Republican Guard", remembers Amin. Then he points to several operations against his country in which he participated, while he adds that heavy military trainings came after the end of the war.

"In 1990, the organization initiated another ideological revolution: “the married members had to divorce; the fiancÃ©s had to break up, and all members had to accept the supreme leadership of Rajavi and his wife.

Amin relates these stories while his hands are empty; he lost the best years of his life in a useless persistence. His leaders allowed their members to act as the soldiers of Saddam and during the Iraqi invasion to Kuwait, Mujahidin were sent to Khanequin to suppress the Kurds. As the situation worsened, the Rajavis deepened their ideological revolution. In 1993, the turn came for â€œthe positive discrimination, a step in which the army took the nickname of a character of American novels.

“The military leaders had to yield their posts to women, and thus I became number two in my company”, explains Amin. Amin was also the director of attacking Tehran, which led to his arrest.

In 2000, Maryam Rajavi, new leader of the militants, deployed several operational teams to Iran to foment chaos before the presidential elections of 2001. But military commanders never crossed the Iranian borders. “10 operations directed by me in Tehran were successful. Soon, the arrival of provisions from Iraq came to a halt and we had to interrupt the work. Khatami won the elections and we received orders to return, but the janitor of the house where we lived exposed us”, Amin recalls.

After settling accounts with the Iranian judiciary, Amin has returned to university and counts on the support of his parents to live, although he has resorted to the aid of a psychologist in order to start a normal life.

Moradi is also trying to remake his life in his hometown, Khorramabad. But he’s unemployed. “After 25 years of life, I have nothing except these clothes”.

the young Sametipour, has not forgotten Elham yet, the young daughter of a MKO activist. He had fallen in love with her but he never saw her again after joining MKO Iraqi camps in 1999. Now, he dedicates himself and his time to an NGO [Nejat Society] which supports the families of those MKO militants who have not returned yet.

EL PAIS

September 8, 2005 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq; A proxy force

Who is the MEK?

Who is the MEK? Why are they protected in Iraq? (Part one)

The War on Terror. The Iraqi occupation. The neoconservative idealist notion of liberating the Middle East. Regime change in Iran. All of the points reach a nexus with the Mujahideen-e Khalq [MEK], an anti-Iranian regime Foreign Terrorist Organization in Iraq with US backing. In this first entry in a three-part series, I explore the history of the MEK and its protection by American forces in Iraq.

Background and history

Origin

The Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK), also known as the People’s Mujahideen of Iran, are a revolutionary political extremist group that dates back some 40 years. The MEK was founded an anti-Islamist rule organization which has sought a ‘people’s revolution’ in the nation of Iran since its inception in 1965. The founders of the MEK were intellectuals at Tehran University who strongly opposed the rule of the Shah in the 70s, espousing a secular, Marxist ideology. The MEK has a military faction called the National Liberation Army (NLA), and is also affiliated with the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). In addition to the MEK, the NLA and the NCRI, numerous front organizations are also led by husband-and-wife Massoud and Maryam Rajavi. During the early 70’s, the MEK were responsible for the following assassinations of Americans:

• June 2, 1973: Lt. Colonel Lewis L. Hawkins

• May 21, 1975: Air Force Colonel Paul Schaeffer

– Air Force Lt. Colonel Jack Turner

• August 28, 1976: Donald G. Smith

– Robert R. Krongrad

– William C. Cottrell

The MEK also assisted and endorsed the occupation of the US Embassy in Tehran and hostage taking.

The Flight to Iraq

The MEK played a role in the 1979 Iranian Revolution . In 1981, the MEK bombed the offices of the Islamic Republic Party, murdering 70 senior Iranian officials. Countless arrests, executions of MEK members and the closure of MEK locations, led the MEK to flee to Iraq in order to enlist in the Iran-Iraq war of the 80’s. In 1986, the MEK established its permanent headquarters in Iraq, with Saddam Hussein as its main source of funding. The [MEK] was used by Hussein to quell internal uprisings, especially the Shiite and Kurdish uprisings in 1991. “They were worse than the Iraqi army, because they weren’t Iraqs,” said Muhsim Ali Akbar, a Kurdish official in Khanaqin, where the MEK sent tanks. “They didn’t care.”

Iranian perception of the MEK

“Though many Iranians take issue with their clerical rules, [MEK] members are widely seen as traitors, as they fought alongside Iraqi troops against Iran in the 1980s.”

“The message of a dozen former militants interviewed…is that the [MEK] is no longer deemed a critical threat by the Iranian regime.”

Inside Iran and throughout the Middle East, the MEK are known by critics as the Monafeqin (hypocrits), a derogatory reference to Mujahideen.

Shortly before the recent presidential elections, 150 protestors demonstrated outside the governor’s office, waving flags and chanting ‘Death to hypocrites.’ “Based on intelligence we’ve received, a network was trying to create problems before the election,” said Ali Aghamohammadi, spokesman for Iran’s National Security Council. Included in the pre-election disruptions were the bombs that killed eight outside of Iranian government offices. “In Tehran, it’s only the MEK who have the operational power to launch something like this.”

Iranians typically see the contradictory ideals of the MEK and its appeal as more of a cult than an organized, coherent political movement. HRW reports, “The level of devotion expected of members was on stark display in 2003 when the French police arrested Maryam Rajavi in Paris. In protest, ten [MEK] members and sympathizers set themselves on fire in various European cities; two of them subsequently died.”

MEK makes the FTO list

In 1997, the State Department included the MEK on its list of FTOs (foreign terrorist organizations). The EU and the UK have also included the MEK in their FTO lists. To this day, the MEK remains on the US FTO list, despite attempts by Congress and neoconservatives to drop their terrorist status. Anthony Cordesman, former national security advisor and Middle East expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies:

“It’s a group that has attacked and murdered Americans…. But it has always been able to persuade people who don’t know about the region that it is more democratic than it really is.”

Recent activities

Recent attacks

In 1998, the assassination of the director of Iran’s prison system, Asadollah Lajevardi. In 1999, the assassination the deputy chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Ali Sayyad Shirazi. More recently, the MEK has carried out a series of mortar attacks and hit-and-run raids against Iranian government buildings in 2000 and 2001, killing the Iranian Chief of Staff. Also in 2000, a mortar attack on President Khatami’s palace in Tehran.

“The notable exception [to recent MEK attacks against the Iranian regime] is the simultaneous attacks conducted by the MEK in April 1992 on Iranian embassies in eleven countries, in retaliation for the bombing of MEK bases in Iraq by the Iranian Air Force just days earlier.”

Arrests & transfers

“Seven Iranians were arrested in 2001 in the US after $400,000 was found to have been transferred to a MEK front organization in the United Arab Emirates, which the FBI claims was ultimately used to buy weapons.”

“Last summer [of 2002], the US State Department outlawed several [MEK]-affiliated groups in the US. In June, France arrested 150 activists, including self-declaring “president-elect” Maryam Rajavi.” More than $1.3 million in MEK funds were seized. President-elect’ Maryam Rajavi remains detained at the MEK’s base in France to this day.

Early depiction in the War on Terror

On September 12, 2002, the Bush administration released its white paper on Iraq. It was similar to his speech to the UN General Assembly on the danger Iraq posed. The only concrete instance of terrorist ties to Iraq was none other than the MEK, “Iraq shelters terrorist groups including the [MEK], which has used terrorist violence against Iran and in the 1970s was responsible for killing several US military personnel and US citizens.”

American protection post-Iraq invasion

“The MEK claimed neutrality in the recent Iraq war, but it in fact took active measures against invading Americans and British forces. As of March 2003, the Mujahideen maintained 16 bases in the southern central and north-central areas of Iraq. Virtually all of these came under attack during the war. The first attack took place on March 28, when RAF warplanes attacked the Habib base, situated 82 kilometers north of Basra. The base was also attacked on the following day and subsequently abandoned by the [MEK]. The Americans bombed the massive Ashraf camp (72 kilometers northeast of Baghdad) more akin to a garrison town serving as the [MEK]’s global headquarters, on March 29. Ashraf was bombed again on April 4, April 12 and April 14.”

Shortly after the airstrikes, the MEK and the US reached a cease-fire agreement. “By one count, after the recent invasion of Iraq, the [MEK] surrendered to US troops 300 tanks, 250 armored personnel carriers, 250 artillery pieces, and 10,000 small arms. Still, the group is reported to be able to continue anti-regime broadcasts into Iran.” The Iraqi army uses some of this equipment to this day.

The MEK has been a central piece in the neoconservative push for regime change in Iran. So central that the administration has refused to turn over members to Iran in exchange for five senior Al Qaeda figures, including Saad bin Laden, the son of Osama bin Laden, and Saif al Adl, intelligence chief. More about this scrapped exchange later.

“Apart from the obvious short-term benefit of securing protection from an armed rebel group allied with the Iraqi regime, the long-term objective of the US Government is believed to have been an attempt to preserve the only major armed opposition to the Iranian regime.”

“On April 15, 2003, the US Army signed a cease-fire permitting the MEK to keep its weapons and use them against Iranian regime infiltrators in Iraq. This deal infuriated the State Department, which then convinced the president to undo it, leading to the strange sight of US troops surrounding MEK camps on May 9, disarming [MEK] fighters and taking up positions to protect them.”

Despite frequent denials of prisoner-of-war status and eligibilty under Geneva Conventions, the US granted the MEK full coverage under the Geneva Conventions. “How is it that [the MEK] get the Geneva Convention, and the people in Guantanamo Bay don’t get it? It’s a huge contradiction,” says Ali Ansari, a British expert on Iran. “This will be interpreted in Iran as another link in the chain of the US determination to move onto Iran next.”

“We already knew that America was not serious in fighting terrorism,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said, adding that the US had now created a new category of ‘good terrorists.’ “The American resort to the Geneva Conventions to support the terrorist hypocrites is naïve and unacceptable.” On top of protections under the Geneva Convention, the US concluded that “there was no basis to charge any of them with terrorist actions” or past murders.

“But the [MEK]’s fate in unclear. While the Iraqis want it disbanded, the politically-savvy group still has support among some congressmen and Pentagon officials, who see it as a potential tool against Iran.”

August of 2003 brought the closure of MEK-affiliated offices in Washington by the State Department and the freezing of its assets. Before this, Attorney General Ashcroft had been a staunch supporter of the MEK. From October 2001 until mid-August of 2003, Ashcroft made no moves to shut down MEK-affiliated front organizations, despite a widely-publicized MEK lobbying presence in Washington. Earlier in September 2000, Newsweek reports that Ashcroft, as a Senator, sent a letter of support to the MEK which was read aloud to a cheering crowd at a MEK/NCRI rally at the UN during a protest of President Khatami. NRCI spokesman Alireza Jafarzadeh recalls that he “had several meetings with Ashcroft aides” and that he considers Ashcroft “a supporter of his group.” Also in 2000, Ashcroft would write Attorney General Janet Reno, advising her to release Mahnaz Samadi, leading spokesman for the National Council of Resistsance of Iran. Ashcroft wasn’t alone in his support for the MEK. In part two, I’ll cover the widespread support and misinformation rampant among Congressmen and neoconservatives focused on toppling the Iranian regime.

In October of 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell wrote Defense Secretary Rumsfeld to remind him that the MEK were US ‘captives, not allies.’

In November 13, 2003, Condoleezza Rice clarified the US’ role as protector and regulator of the MEK, “I just want to be very clear that the US remains committed to preventing the MEK, which is now contained in Iraq, from engaging in terrorist activities, including activities in Iran, and its reconstitution inside Iraq as a terrorist organization.”

A month later, Paul Bremer stated, “We want to involve the UN High Commission for Refugees in settling the [MEK] in three countries,” which the Iraqi government would determine. On December 9, the Governing Council ruled to deport the MEK. Two days later, members Nurredin Dara suggested sending them back to Iran, a move the MEK said would amount to a war crime.

Also towards the end of 2003, the Iraqi Governing Council orders the MEK to leave Iraq by the end of the year and end its ‘black history’ in Iraq. Pentagon officials do not want the MEK to disband and keep the MEK in Iraq.

In early 2005, some 250 members of MEK return to Iran from Camp Ashraf under custody, receiving amnesty by the Iranian government. The over 3,500 MEK members that remain in Camp Ashraf call those who leave ‘quitters.’

In June of 2005, Scott Ritter revealed that the MEK had already begun CIA-backed actions against the Iranian regime. Ritter points to increased US concentration in Azerbaijan in order to conduct short air strikes and pilot-less drones flying over Iran on recon missions. Iran has, of course, not shot down these crafts so as not to give the US a reason for an attack.

If war with Iran is inevitable due to the pressure of the neoconservative faction, it will begin as a covert war. A covert war that will possibly instigate something much more severe.

In part two, I delve into the stateside support of the MEK. Some members of Congress and many neoconservatives have rallied behind the MEK as a force for toppling the Iran regime. Similarly, I address the role of various MEK front organizations in recent media disinformation campaigns. Lastly, I conclude with the pursued deal with Iran to receive Al Qaeda members for members of MEK.

Daily KOS Website

September 8, 2005 0 comments

Duplicity of the MEK nature

MKO Bribes to Distort Reality

Some MKO defectors recall a common amazing memory: After the US disarmed the MKO and realized that most of MKO members want to leave the Organization, they established a camp near Camp Ashraf and settled defectors-whether those who had escaped MKO or had left it with the assistance of Americans- in that camp. MKO, entangled in a crisis, resorted to dirty tricks to stop members from leaving. For instance, Americans’ interpreter in interviews was a woman called “Paria”. MKO bribed her with gold and jewelry and asked her to change the translation of defectors’ words (that is, to distort the reality) so that Americans open an unreal file for them. Defectors were not aware of this since they didn’t know English. But the time came for a former member who had lived in the US for years and had come to Iraq (MKO) from the US. During the interview, American general (State Department’s interviewer) asked if he was tortured by the MKO. He realized that “Paria” changed his words and said: “MKO treated me very well but I want to go to my own life”! He became angry by this distortion of reality by her and started himself to tell the truth in English. Americans fired her as soon as they found that she was not honest and employed another interpreter called “Fatima” (apparently from Afghanistan). It’s been said that Paria had not even a gold ring when she came but after a while, she wore several bracelets. Even the former members asked her about this. “Ms. Paria! You’re dressed with gold!!!??,” they said to her ironically. Indeed, why the MKO is so much afraid of realities regarding former members, being interpreted? If they have acted according to the criteria of human communities, and if they have observed democratic factors in their organization, why should they bribe an interpreter with gold and jewelry?! Isn’t it that they wanted to prevent the publication of realities?! But, these defectors and former members will finally cry out to the world and Rajavi won’t be able to silence these cries anymore.

September 7, 2005 0 comments

Former members of the MEK

Five more MKO defectors repatriated

Nejat Society correspondent:

Mehrabad Airport- five more members of MEK fled from the evil Rajavi’s Organization and repatriated, on August 23, 2005 . According to received news these defectors returned to Iran on a private flight by the help of International Red Cross.

They stated that they have separated from the organization less than a month ago and joined the American camp.

Nejat Society congratulates the return of our beloveds to the families and hopes that all of the members captured in Rajavi’s cult, choose the right way and return to their families.

Eskandarie, Samad from Zanjan

Rahmanie, Ghader from Oroumieh

Seyed Mohammadie, Jahan Shah from Kermanshah

Mohammadie, Karim from Kermanshah

Salehi, Iraj from Mazandaran

August 25, 2005 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

Terrorist Group Profiles

Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) From: Country Reports on Terrorism, 2004. United States Department of State, April 2005. ——————————————————————————– Other Names The National Liberation Army of Iran The People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI) National Council of Resistance (NCR) National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) Muslim Iranian Student’s Society Description The MEK philosophy mixes Marxism and Islam. Formed in the 1960s, the organization was expelled from Iran after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and its primary support came from the former Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein starting in the late 1980s. The MEK conducted anti-West-ern attacks prior to the Islamic Revolution. Since then, it has conducted terrorist attacks against the interests of the clerical regime in Iran and abroad. The MEK advocates the overthrow of the Iranian regime and its replacement with the group’s own leadership. Activities The group’s worldwide campaign against the Iranian Government stresses propaganda and occasionally uses terrorism. During the 1970s, the MEK killed US military personnel and US civilians working on defense projects in Tehran and supported the takeover in 1979 of the US Embassy in Tehran. In 1981, the MEK detonated bombs in the head office of the Islamic Republic Party and the Premier’s office, killing some 70 high-ranking Iranian officials, including Chief Justice Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, President Mohammad-Ali Rajaei, and Premier Mohammad-Javad Bahonar. Near the end of the 19801988 war with Iran, Baghdad armed the MEK with military equipment and sent it into action against Iranian forces. In 1991, the MEK assisted the Government of Iraq in suppressing the Shia and Kurdish uprisings in southern Iraq and the Kurdish uprisings in the north. In April 1992, the MEK conducted near-simultaneous attacks on Iranian embassies and installations in 13 countries, demonstrating the group’s ability to mount large-scale operations overseas. In April 1999, the MEK targeted key military officers and assassinated the deputy chief of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff. In April 2000, the MEK attempted to assassinate the commander of the Nasr Headquarters, Tehran’s interagency board responsible for coordinating policies on Iraq. The normal pace of anti-Iranian operations increased during "Operation Great Bahman" in February 2000, when the group launched a dozen attacks against Iran. One of those attacks included a mortar attack against the leadership complex in Tehran that housed the offices of the Supreme Leader and the President. In 2000 and 2001, the MEK was involved regularly in mortar attacks and hit-and-run raids on Iranian military and law enforcement units and Government buildings near the Iran-Iraq border, although MEK terrorism in Iran declined toward the end of 2001. After Coalition aircraft bombed MEK bases at the outset of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the MEK leadership ordered its members not to resist Coalition forces, and a formal cease-fire arrangement was reached in May 2003. Strength Over 3,000 MEK members are currently confined to Camp Ashraf, the MEK’s main compound north of Baghdad, where they remain under the Geneva Convention’s "protected person" status and Coalition control. As a condition of the cease-fire agreement, the group relinquished its weapons, including tanks, armored vehicles, and heavy artillery. A significant number of MEK personnel have "defected" from the Ashraf group, and several dozen of them have been voluntarily repatriated to Iran. Location/Area of Operation In the 1980s, the MEK’s leaders were forced by Iranian security forces to flee to France. On resettling in Iraq in 1987, almost all of its armed units were stationed in fortified bases near the border with Iran. Since Operation Iraqi Freedom, the bulk of the group is limited to Camp Ashraf, although an overseas support structure remains with associates and supporters scattered throughout Europe and North America. External Aid Before Operation Iraqi Freedom, the group received all of its military assistance, and most of its financial support, from the former Iraqi regime. The MEK also has used front organizations to solicit contributions from expatriate Iranian communities. ——————————————————————————– This is an official U.S. Navy web site

August 25, 2005 0 comments

Canada

Terrorism in Canada

This is a list of international terrorist attacks that occurred in Canada. * April 7, 1868 – Thomas D’Arcy McGee is assassinated in Ottawa by an Irish nationalist. * November 25, 1965 – Croatian nationalists bomb the Yugoslavian consulate in Toronto. * September 22, 1966 – A bazooka attack on the Cuban embassy in Ottawa is made. * October 5, 1966 – Anti-Castro forces bomb the offices of the Cuban trade delegation in Ottawa. * January 29, 1967 – The Yugoslavian embassy in Ottawa and the consulate in Toronto are among six Yugoslavian offices bombed in North America. * May 31, 1967: A small bomb explodes at the Cuba Pavilion at Expo ’67 in Montreal. The attack is attributed to Cuban Nationalist Action. * October 15, 1967: A bomb explodes at the offices of the Cuban trade delegation in Montreal. * May 29, 1969: A bomb is placed in the doorway of the Cuban consulate in Montreal, it fails to go off. * July 12, 1971: Another small bomb goes off at the offices of the Cuban trade delegation in Montreal. * April 4, 1972: Cuban official Sergio Pérez Castillo is killed by an explosion at the Cuban consulate at Montreal. * January 21, 1974: A bomb explodes at the Cuban embassy in Ottawa. It is attributed to Orlando Bosch. * September 22, 1976: An explosive device is thrown from a car at the Cuban consulate in Montreal. * January 14, 1980: A large explosion significantly damages the Cuban consulate in Montreal. * April 8, 1982 – Turkish Commercial Counselor to Canada Kani Güngör is paralyzed after an attack by Armenian nationalists at his Ottawa apartment. * August 23, 1982 – Turkish military attaché to Canada, Col. Atilla Altikat, is assassinated by Armenian terrorists in Ottawa. * October 14, 1982 – The anarchist group Direct Action bombs a Litton Industries factory north of Toronto that is manufacturing guidance devices for American cruise missiles, ten are injured. * March 12, 1985 – A group of Armenian terrorists seize the Turkish embassy, killing a Canadian security guard * June 23, 1985 – Air India flight 182 leaving Montreal’s Mirabel International Airport is blown up by Sikh separatists. * May 26, 1986 – An attempt is made to assassinate Malkiat Singh Sidhu a cabinet minister in the Indian province of Punjab in Vancouver * August 28, 1988 – Indo-Canadian Times editor Tara Singh Hayer is shot and partially paralyzed * April 5, 1992 – The Iranian embassy in Ottawa is stormed by members of MEK, an Iraq supported leftist group. * November 18, 1995 – Newspaper editor Tara Singh Hayer is assassinated for his strident opposition to Sikh militants. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_terrorist_attacks_in_Canada ——————————————————————————– http://www.psepc.gc.ca/national_security/counter-terrorism/Entities_e.asp Terror organizations in Canada The following list is established for the purposes of Part II.1 of the Criminal Code (July 23, 2002). 1. Armed Islamic Group (GIA) (also known as Groupe islamique armé) 2. Salafist Group for Call and Combat (GSPC) (also known as Groupe salafiste pour la prédication et le combat) 3. Al Jihad (AJ)(aka Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ)) 4. Vanguards of Conquest (VOC) 5. Al Qaida 6. Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya (AGAI)(aka Islamic Group, (IG)) 7. Al-Ittihad Al-Islam (AIAI) The following list is established for the purposes of Part II.1 of the Criminal Code (November 27, 2002). 8. Islamic Army of Aden (IAA) (also known among other names as the Islamic Army of Aden-Abyan (IAAA), the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army (AAIA), Aden Islamic Army, Islamic Aden Army, Muhammed’s Army / Army of Mohammed and the Jaish Adan Al Islami). 9. Harakat ul-Mudjahidin (HuM) (also known among other names as Al-Faran, Al-Hadid, Al-Hadith, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen, Harakat ul-Mujahideen, Harakat al-Mujahideen, Harkat-ul-Ansar, Harakat ul-Ansar, Harakat al-Ansar, Harkat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami, Harkat Mujahideen, Harakat-ul-Mujahideen al-Almi, Holy Warriors Movement, Movement of the Mujahideen, Movement of the Helpers, Movement of Islamic Fighters and Al Qanoon). 10. Asbat Al-Ansar ("The League of Partisans") (also known among other names as Osbat Al Ansar, Usbat Al Ansar, Esbat Al-Ansar, Isbat Al Ansar and Usbat-ul-Ansar). 11. Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) (also known among other names as Islamic Jihad Palestine (IJP), Islamic Jihad – Palestine Faction and Islamic Holy War). 12. Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) (also known among other names as Jaish-i-Mohammed (Mohammad, Muhammad, Muhammed), Jaish-e-Mohammad (Muhammed), Jaish-e-Mohammad Mujahideen E-Tanzeem, Jeish-e-Mahammed, Army of Mohammed, Mohammed’s Army, Tehrik Ul-Furqaan, National Movement for the Restoration of Pakistani Sovereignty and Army of the Prophet). 13. Hamas (Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamiya) ("Islamic Resistance Movement") The following list is established for the purposes of Part II.1 of the Criminal Code (December 11, 2002). 14. Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) (also known among other names as Kurdistan Workers Party, Partya Karkeren Kurdistan, Kurdistan Labor Party, Kurdistan Freedom and Democracy Congress, KADEK, Kurdistan People’s Congress, Kurdistan Halk Kongresi (KHK), People’s Congress of Kurdistan, Kongra-Gel). 15. Aum Shinrikyo (also known among other names as Aum Shinri Kyo, Aum, Aum Supreme Truth, A. I. C. Comprehensive Research Institute, A. I. C. Sogo Kenkyusho and Aleph). 16. Hizballah (also known among other names as Hizbullah, Hizbollah, Hezbollah, Hezballah, Hizbu’llah, The Party of God, Islamic Jihad (Islamic Holy War), Islamic Jihad Organization, Islamic Resistance, Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine, Ansar al-Allah (Followers of God/Partisans of God/God’s Helpers), Ansarollah (Followers of God/Partisans of God/God’s Helpers), Ansar Allah (Followers of God/Partisans of God/God’s Helpers), Al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah (Islamic Resistance), Organization of the Oppressed, Organization of the Oppressed on Earth, Revolutionary Justice Organization, Organization of Right Against Wrong and Followers of the Prophet Muhammed). The following list is established for the purposes of Part II.1 of the Criminal Code (February 12, 2003). 17. Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) (also known among other names as Fatah Revolutionary Council, Revolutionary Council, Revolutionary Council of Fatah, Al-Fatah Revolutionary Council, Fatah-the Revolutionary Council, Black June, Arab Revolutionary Brigades, Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims, Black September, Egyptian Revolution, Arab Fedayeen Cells, Palestine Revolutionary Council and Organization of Jund al Haq). 18. Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) (also known among other names as Al Harakat Al Islamiyya (AHAI), Al Harakat-ul Al Islamiyya, Al-Harakatul-Islamia, Al Harakat Al Aslamiya, Abou Sayaf Armed Band (ASAB), Abu Sayaff Group, Abu Sayyef Group and Mujahideen Commando Freedom Fighters (MCFF)). 19. Sendero Luminoso (SL) (also known among other names as Shining Path, Partido Comunista del Peru en el Sendero Luminoso de Jose Carlos Mariategui, Communist Party of Peru on the Shining Path of Jose Carlos Mariategui, Partido Comunista del Peru, Communist Party of Peru, The Communist Party of Peru by the Shining Path of Jose Carlos Mariategui and Marxism, Leninism, Maoism and the Thoughts of Chairman Gonzalo, Revolutionary Student Front for the Shining Path of Mariategui, Communist Party of Peru – By Way of the Shining Path of Mariategui, PCP – por el Sendero Luminoso de Mariategui, PCP and PCP-SL). The following list is established for the purposes of Part II.1 of the Criminal Code (April 2, 2003). 20. Jemaah Islamiyyah (JI) (also known among other names as Jemaa Islamiyah, Jema’a Islamiyya, Jema’a Islamiyyah, Jema’ah Islamiyah, Jema’ah Islamiyyah, Jemaa Islamiya, Jemaa Islamiyya, Jemaah Islamiyya, Jemaa Islamiyyah, Jemaah Islamiah, Jemaah Islamiyah, Jemaah Islamiyyah, Jemaah Islamiya, Jamaah Islamiyah, Jamaa Islamiya, Jemaah Islam, Jemahh Islamiyah, Jama’ah Islamiyah, Al-Jama’ah Al Islamiyyah, Islamic Group and Islamic Community). 21. Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) 22. Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) (also known among other names as Basque Homeland and Liberty, Euzkadi Ta Azkatasuna, Euzkadi Ta Askatasanu, Basque Nation and Liberty, Basque Fatherland and Liberty and Basque Homeland and Freedom). 23. Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade (AAMB) (also known among other names as Al-Aqsa Intifada Martyrs’ Group, Al-Aqsa Brigades, Martyrs of al-Aqsa group, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Battalion and Armed Militias of the Al-Aqsa Martyr Battalions). 24. Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) (also known among other names as Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia-People’s Army (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia-Ejército del Pueblo, FARC-EP), National Finance Commission (Comisión Nacional de Finanzas) and Coordinadora Nacional Guerrillera Simon Bolivar (CNGSB)). 25. Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) (also known among other names as Autodéfenses unies de Colombie and United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia). 26. Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) (also known among other names as National Liberation Army and the Army of National Liberation). The following list is established for the purposes of Part II.1 of the Criminal Code (June 18, 2003). 27. Babbar Khalsa (BK) 28. Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) 29. International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) 30. Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT) (also known among other names as Lashkar-e-Toiba, Lashkar-i-Toiba (LiT), Lashkar-i-Taiba (Holy Regiment), Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LT) (Army of the Righteous), Lashkar-e-Taibyya, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (Army of the Pure and Righteous), Lashkar-e-Taiba (Righteous Army), Lashkar-Taiba (Army of the Good), Lashkar e Toiba, Lashkar e Taiba, Lashkar-E-Tayyaba, Lashkar e Tayyiba). 31. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) (also known among other names as Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Lashkar-e-Jhangvie, Laskar-e-Jhangvi, Lashkare Jhangvi, Lashkar-e-Jhangwi, Lashkar-i-Jhangwi, Jhangvi Army, Lashkar-e Jhangvi, Lashkar Jhangvi, Lashkar-e-Jhanvi (LeJ), Lashkar-i-Jangvi, Lashkar e Jhangvi, Lashkar Jangvi, Laskar e Jahangvi). The following list is established for the purposes of Part II.1 of the Criminal Code (November 13, 2003). 32. Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) (also known among other names as PLF – Abu Abbas Faction, Front for the Liberation of Palestine (FLP)). 33. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) (Al-Jibha al-Sha’biya lil-Tahrir Filistin). 34. Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command (PFLP-GC) (Al-Jibha Sha’biya lil-Tahrir Filistin-al-Qadiya al-Ama). The following list is established for the purposes of Part II.1 of the Criminal Code (May 17, 2004). 35. Ansar al-Islam (AI) (also known as the Partisans of Islam, Helpers of Islam, Supporters of Islam, Soldiers of God, Kurdistan Taliban, Soldiers of Islam, Kurdistan Supporters of Islam, Supporters of Islam in Kurdistan, Followers of Islam in Kurdistan). On November 17, 2004, the two-year review of the list was completed pursuant to subsections 83.05(9) and 83.05(10) of the Criminal Code. The following list is established for the purposes of Part II.1 of the Criminal Code (May 24, 2005). 36. GULBUDDIN HEKMATYAR (also known as: Gulabudin Hekmatyar; Gulbuddin Khekmatiyar; Gulbuddin Hekmatiar; Gulbuddin Hekmartyar; Gulbudin Hekmetyar; Golboddin Hikmetyar; and Gulbuddin Hekmetyar). 37. KAHANE CHAI (KACH) is also known by several other names. They are: the Repression of Traitors, the State of Yehuda, the Sword of David, Dikuy Bogdim, DOV, the Judea Police, Kahane Lives, the Kfar Tapuah Fund, State of Judea, the Judean Legion, the Judean Voice, the Qomemiyut Movement, the Way of the Torah, and the Yeshiva of the Jewish Idea. 38. MUJAHEDIN-E-KHALQ (MEK) From its original Persian name, Sãzimãn-i Mujãhidn-i Khalq-i Irãn (Holy Warrior Organization of the Iranian People) / Sazman-i Mojahedin-i Khalq-i Iran (Organization of the Freedom Fighters of the Iranian People) / Sazeman-e Mojahedin-e Khalq-e Iran (Organization of People’s Holy Warriors of Iran) / Sazeman-e-Mujahideen-e-Khalq-e-Iran, the group’s name was shortened to Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) or Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO). Other spellings: Mujahiddin e Khahq, al-Khalq Mujahideen Organization , Mujahedeen Khalq, Modjaheddins khalg, Moudjahiddin-é Khalq. The MEK is also known as: National Liberation Army of Iran (NLA) (the military wing of the MEK) / Armée de Libération nationale iranienne (ALNI); People’s Mujahidin Organization of Iran (PMOI) / People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI) / Organisation des moudjahiddin du peuple d’Iran (OMPI) / Organisation des moudjahidines du peuple.

UnitedNorthAmerica.org

August 25, 2005 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

Designations of Terrorists and Terrorist Organizations

Designations of Terrorists and Terrorist Organizations Pursuant to Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001 SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the designation by the Secretary of State of foreign persons whose property and interests in property have been blocked pursuant to Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001. These designations comprise 8 individuals and 29 organizations determined to meet the criteria set forth under subsection 1(b) of Executive Order 13224. DATES: These determinations were made by the Secretary of State on October 12, 2001, October 31, 2001, December 18, 2001, and December 31, 2001, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and Attorney General. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frederick W. Axelgard, Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Department of State; telephone: (202) 647-9892; fax: (202) 647-0221. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background On September 23, 2001, President Bush issued Executive Order 13224 (the “Order”) imposing economic sanctions on persons (defined as including individuals or entities) who, inter alia, commit, threaten to commit, or support certain acts of terrorism. In an annex to the Order, President Bush identified 12 individuals and 15 entities whose assets are blocked pursuant to the Order (66 FR 49079, September 25, 2001). The property and interests in property of an additional 33 individuals and 6 entities were blocked pursuant to determinations by the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Treasury (effective October 12, 2001), referenced in a Federal Register Notice published by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, Department of the Treasury (66 FR 54404, October 26, 2001). Further determinations made by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, on November 7, 2001, and December 4, 2001, December 20, 2001, January 9, 2002, February 26, and March 11 are addressed in a separate notice published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register. Pursuant to subsection 1(b) of the Order, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Attorney General, has determined to date that 8 foreign individuals and 29 foreign organizations have been determined to have committed, or to pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. The Secretary of State’s etermination that each of these individuals and organizations meets the criteria set forth under subsection 1(b) of the Order subjects each of these individuals and organizations to sanctions. 23 of the organizations determined on October 31, 2001 and December 18, 2001 to meet the criteria set forth under subsection 1(b) of the Order are also subject to sanctions imposed pursuant to their designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization pursuant to section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, 8 U.S.C. 1189. Pursuant to the determination made by the Secretary of State under subsection 1(b) of the Order, all property and interests in property of any listed person that are in the United States, that come within the United States, or that come within the possession or control of United States persons, including their overseas branches, are blocked. All transactions or dealings by U.S. persons or within the United States in property or interests in property of any listed person are prohibited unless licensed by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of foreign Assets Control or exempted by statute.The determinations of the Secretary of State were effective on October 12, 2001, October 31, 2001, December 18, 2001, and December 31, 2001. In Section 10 of the Order, the President determined that because of the ability to transfer funds or assets instantaneously, prior notice to persons listed in the Annex to, or determined to be subject to, the Order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States, would render ineffectual the blocking and other measures authorized in the Order. The President therefore determined that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in the Order, no prior notification of a listing or determination pursuant to the Order need be provided to any person who might have a constitutional presence in the United States. The property and interests of property of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported,withdrawn or otherwise dealt in except as authorized by regulations,orders, directives, rulings, instructions, licenses or otherwise: Designations by the Secretary of State on October 12, 2001 ADBELKARIM HUSSEIN MOHAMMED AL-NASSER AHMAD IBRAHIM AL-MUGHASSIL ALI SAED BIN ALI EL-HOORIE IBRAHIM SALIH MOHAMMED AL-YACOUB ALI ATWA HASAN IZZ-AL-DIN IMAD FAYEZ MUGNIYAH KHALID SHAIKH MOHAMMED Designations by the Secretary of State on October 31, 2001 ABU NIDAL ORGANIZATION a.k.a. ANO; a.k.a. BLACK SEPTEMBER a.k.a. FATAH REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL a.k.a. ARAB REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL a.k.a. ARAB REVOLUTIONARY BRIGADES a.k.a. REVOLUTIONARY ORGANIZATION OF SOCIALIST MUSLIMS AUM SHINRIKYO a.k.a. A.I.C. COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH INSTITUTE a.k.a. A.I.C. SOGO KENKYUSHO a.k.a. ALEPH a.k.a. AUM SUPREME TRUTH BASQUE FATHERLAND AND LIBERTY a.k.a. ETA a.k.a. EUZKADI TA ASKATASUNA GAMA’A AL-ISLAMIYYA a.k.a. GI a.k.a. ISLAMIC GROUP a.k.a. IG a.k.a. AL-GAMA’AT a.k.a. ISLAMIC GAMA’A a.k.a. EGYPTIAN AL-GAMA’AT AL-ISLAMIYYA HAMAS a.k.a. ISLAMIC RESISTANCE MOVEMENT a.k.a. HARAKAT AL-MUQAWAMA AL-ISLAMIYA a.k.a. STUDENTS OF AYYASH a.k.a. STUDENT OF THE ENGINEER a.k.a. YAHYA AYYASH UNITS a.k.a. IZZ AL-DIN AL-QASSIM BRIGADES a.k.a. IZZ AL-DIN AL-QASSIM FORCES a.k.a. IZZ AL-DIN AL-QASSIM BATTALIONS a.k.a. IZZ AL-DIN AL QASSAM BRIGADES a.k.a. IZZ AL-DIN AL QASSAM FORCES a.k.a. IZZ AL-DIN AL QASSAM BATTALIONS HIZBALLAH a.k.a. PARTY OF GOD a.k.a. ISLAMIC JIHAD a.k.a. ISLAMIC JIHAD ORGANIZATION a.k.a. REVOLUTIONARY JUSTICE ORGANIZATION a.k.a. ORGANIZATION OF THE OPPRESSED ON EARTH a.k.a. ISLAMIC JIHAD FOR THE LIBERATION OF PALESTINE a.k.a. ORGANIZATION OF RIGHT AGAINST WRONG a.k.a. ANSAR ALLAH a.k.a. FOLLOWERS OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMED KAHANE CHAI a.k.a. COMMITTEE FOR THE SAFETY OF THE ROADS a.k.a. DIKUY BOGDIM a.k.a. DOV a.k.a. FOREFRONT OF THE IDEA a.k.a. JUDEA POLICE a.k.a. KACH a.k.a. KAHANE LIVES a.k.a. KFAR TAPUAH FUND a.k.a. KOACH a.k.a. REPRESSION OF TRAITORS a.k.a. STATE OF JUDEA a.k.a. SWORD OF DAVID a.k.a. THE JUDEAN LEGION a.k.a. THE JUDEAN VOICE a.k.a. THE QOMEMIYUT MOVEMENT a.k.a. THE WAY OF THE TORAH a.k.a. THE YESHIVA OF THE JEWISH IDEA KURDISTAN WORKERS’ PARTY a.k.a. HALU MESRU SAVUNMA KUVVETI (HSK) a.k.a. PARTIYA KARKERAN KURDISTAN a.k.a. PKK a.k.a. THE PEOPLE’S DEFENSE FORCE LIBERATION TIGERS OF TAMIL EELAM a.k.a. LTTE a.k.a. TAMIL TIGERS a.k.a. ELLALAN FORCE MUJAHEDIN-E KHALQ a.k.a. MUJAHEDIN-E KHALQ ORGANIZATION a.k.a. MEK a.k.a. MKO a.k.a. NLA a.k.a. ORGANIZATION OF THE PEOPLE’S HOLY WARRIORS OF IRAN a.k.a. PEOPLE’S MUJAHEDIN ORGANIZATION OF IRAN a.k.a. PMOI a.k.a. SAZEMAN-E MUJAHEDIN-E KHALQ-E IRAN a.k.a. THE NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY OF IRAN NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY a.k.a. ELN a.k.a. EJERCITO DE LIBERACION NACIONAL PALESTINE ISLAMIC JIHAD–SHAQAQI FACTION a.k.a. ABU GHUNAYM SQUAD OF THE HIZBALLAH BAYT AL-MAQDIS a.k.a. AL-AWDAH BRIGADES a.k.a. AL-QUDS BRIGADES a.k.a. AL-QUDS SQUADS a.k.a. ISLAMIC JIHAD IN PALESTINE a.k.a. ISLAMIC JIHAD OF PALESTINE a.k.a. PALESTINIAN ISLAMIC JIHAD a.k.a. PIJ a.k.a. PIJ-SHALLAH FACTION a.k.a. PIJ-SHAQAQI FACTION a.k.a. SAYARA AL-QUDS PALESTINE LIBERATION FRONT–ABU ABBAS FACTION a.k.a. PALESTINE LIBERATION FRONT a.k.a. PLF a.k.a. PLF-ABU ABBAS POPULAR FRONT FOR THE LIBERATION OF PALESTINE–GENERAL COMMAND a.k.a. PFLP-GC REAL IRA a.k.a. 32 COUNTY SOVEREIGNTY COMMITTEE a.k.a. 32 COUNTY SOVEREIGNTY MOVEMENT a.k.a. IRISH REPUBLICAN PRISONERS WELFARE ASSOCIATION a.k.a. REAL IRISH REPUBLICAN ARMY a.k.a. REAL OGLAIGH NA HEIREANN a.k.a. RIRA REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES OF COLOMBIA a.k.a. FARC REVOLUTIONARY NUCLEI a.k.a. POPULAR REVOLUTIONARY STRUGGLE a.k.a. EPANASTATIKOS LAIKOS AGONAS a.k.a. REVOLUTIONARY POPULAR STRUGGLE a.k.a. REVOLUTIONARY PEOPLE’S STRUGGLE a.k.a. JUNE 78 a.k.a. ORGANIZATION OF REVOLUTIONARY INTERNATIONALIST SOLIDARITY a.k.a. ELA a.k.a. REVOLUTIONARY CELLS a.k.a. LIBERATION STRUGGLE REVOLUTIONARY ORGANIZATION 17 NOVEMBER a.k.a. 17 NOVEMBER a.k.a. EPANASTATIKI ORGANOSI 17 NOEMVRI REVOLUTIONARY PEOPLE’S LIBERATION PARTY/FRONT a.k.a. DEVRIMCI HALK KURTULUS PARTISI-CEPHESI a.k.a. DHKP/C; [[Page 12635]] a.k.a. DEVRIMCI SOL a.k.a. REVOLUTIONARY LEFT a.k.a. DEV SOL a.k.a. DEV SOL SILAHLI DEVRIMCI BIRLIKLERI a.k.a. DEV SOL SDB a.k.a. DEV SOL ARMED REVOLUTIONARY UNITS SHINING PATH a.k.a. SENDERO LUMINOSO a.k.a. SL a.k.a. PARTIDO COMUNISTA DEL PERU EN EL SENDERO LUMINOSO DE JOSE CARLOS MARIATEGUI (COMMUNIST PARTY OF PERU ON THE SHINING PATH OF JOSE CARLOS MARIATEGUI) a.k.a. PARTIDO COMUNISTA DEL PERU (COMMUNIST PARTY OF PERU) a.k.a. PCP a.k.a. SOCORRO POPULAR DEL PERU (PEOPLE’S AID OF PERU) a.k.a. SPP a.k.a. EJERCITO GUERRILLERO POPULAR (PEOPLE’S GUERRILLA ARMY) a.k.a. EGP a.k.a. EJERCITO POPULAR DE LIBERACION (PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY) a.k.a. EPL UNITED SELF-DEFENSE FORCES OF COLOMBIA a.k.a. AUC a.k.a. AUTODEFENSAS UNIDAS DE COLOMBIA Designation by the Secretary of State on December 18, 2001 LASHKAR-E-TAIBA a.k.a. LASHKAR E-TAYYIBA a.k.a. LASKAR E-TOIBA a.k.a. ARMY OF THE RIGHTEOUS Designations by the Secretary of State on December 31, 2001 CONTINUITY IRA (CIRA) LOYALIST VOLUNTEER FORCE (LVF) ORANGE VOLUNTEERS (OV) RED HAND DEFENDERS (RHD) ULSTER DEFENCE ASSOCIATION/ULSTER FREEDOM FIGHTERS (UDA/UFF) FIRST OF OCTOBER ANTIFASCIST RESISTANCE GROUP (GRAPO) Dated: March 13, 2002. Francis X. Taylor, Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Department of State. [FR Doc. 02-6577 Filed 3-14-02; 3:48 pm] BILLING CODE 4710-10-P immigration.com

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Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

Re-designation of Foreign Terrorist Organization

DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Coordinator for Counter-terrorism [Public Notice 3795] Re-designation of Foreign Terrorist Organization AGENCY: Department of State. ACTION: Re-designation of foreign terrorist organizations. Pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”), as added by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-132, Sec. 302, 110 Stat. 1214, 1248 (1996), and amended by the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009 (1996), the Secretary of State hereby redesignates, effective October 5, 2001, the following organizations as foreign terrorist organizations: Abu Nidal Organization

Also known as ANO

Also known as Black September

Also known as the Fatah Revolutionary Council

Also known as the Arab Revolutionary Council

Also known as the Arab Revolutionary Brigades

Also known as the Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims

Abu Sayyaf Group

Also known as Al Harakat Al Islamiyya

Armed Islamic Group

Also known as GIA

Also known as Groupement Islamique Arme

Also known as Al-Jama’ah al-Islamiyah al-Musallah

[[Page 51089]]

Aum Shinrikyo

Also known as Aleph

Also known as Aum Supreme Truth

Also known as A.I.C. Sogo Kenkyusho

Also known as A.I.C. Comprehensive Research Institute

Basque Fatherland and Liberty

Also known as Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna

Also known as ETA

Gama’a al-Islamiyya

Also known as the Islamic Group

Also known as IG

Also known as al-Gama’at

Also known as Islamic Gama’at

Also known as Egyptian al-Gama’at al-Islamiyya

Also known as GI

Hamas

Also known as the Islamic Resistance Movement

Also known as Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya

Also known as Students of Ayyash

Also known as Students of the Engineer

Also known as Yahya Ayyash Units

Also known as Izz Al-Din Al-Qassim Brigades

Also known as Izz Al-Din Al-Qassim Forces

Also known as Izz Al-Din Al-Qassim Battalions

Also known as Izz al-Din Al Qassam Brigades

Also known as Izz al-Din Al Qassam Forces

Also known as Izz al-Din Al Qassam Battalions

Harakat ul-Mujahideen

Also known as HUM

Also known as Harakat ul-Ansar

Also known as HUA

Hizballah

Also known as the Party of God

Also known as Islamic Jihad

Also known as Islamic Jihad Organization

Also known as Revolutionary Justice Organization

Also known as Organization of the Oppressed on Earth

Also known as Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine

Also known as Organization of Right Against Wrong

Also known as Ansar Allah

Also known as Followers of the Prophet Muhammed

al-Jihad

Also known as Egyptian al-Jihad

Also known as New Jihad

Also known as Egyptian Islamic Jihad

Also known as Jihad Group

Kahane Chai

Also known as Kach

Also known as Kahane Lives

Also known as the Kfar Tapuah Fund

Also known as The Judean Voice

Also known as The Judean Legion

Also known as The Way of the Torah

Also known as The Yeshiva of the Jewish Idea

Also known as the Repression of Traitors

Also known as Dikuy Bogdim

Also known as DOV

Also known as the State of Judea

Also known as the Committee for the Safety of the Roads

Also known as the Sword of David

Also known as Judea Police

Also known as Forefront of the Idea

Also known as The Qomemiyut Movement

and

Also known as KOACH

Kurdistan Workers’ Party

Also known as the PKK

Also known as Partiya Karkeran Kurdistan

Also known as the People’s Defense Force

Also known as Halu Mesru Savunma Kuvveti (HSK)

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

Also known as LTTE

Also known as Tamil Tigers

Also known as Ellalan Force

Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization

Also known as MEK

Also known as MKO

Also known as Mujahedin-e Khalq

Also known as People’s Mujahedin Organization of Iran

Also known as PMOI

Also known as Organization of the People’s Holy Warriors of Iran

Also known as Sazeman-e Mujahedin-e Khalq-e Iran

Also known as National Council of Resistance

Also known as NCR

Also known as National Council of Resistance of Iran

Also known as NCRI

Also known as the National Liberation Army of Iran

Also known as NLA

National Liberation Army

Also known as the ELN,

Also known as Ejercito de Liberacion Nacional

Palestine Islamic Jihad-Shaqaqi Faction

Also known as PIJ-Shaqaqi Faction

Also known as PIJ-Shallah Faction

Also known as Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Also known as PIJ

Also known as Islamic Jihad of Palestine

Also known as Islamic Jihad in Palestine

Also known as Abu Ghunaym Squad of the Hizballah Bayt Al-Maqdis

Also known as the Al-Quds Squads

Also known as the Al-Quds Brigades

Also known as Saraya Al-Quds

Also known as Al-Awdah Brigades

Palestine Liberation Front-Abu Abbas Faction

Also known as the Palestine Liberation Front

Also known as the PLF

Also known as PLF-Abu Abbas

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine

Also known as the PFLP

Also known as the Red Eagles

Also known as the Red Eagle Group

Also known as the Red Eagle Gang

Also known as the Halhul Gang

Also known as the Halhul Squad

Also known as Palestinian Popular Resistance Forces

Also known as PPRF

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command

Also known as PFLP-GC

al Qa’ida

Also known as al Qaeda

Also known as “the Base”

Also known as the Islamic Army

Also known as the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jews and

Crusaders

Also known as the Islamic Army for the Liberation of the Holy Places

Also known as the Usama Bin Laden Network

Also known as the Usama Bin Laden Organization

Also known as Islamic Salvation Foundation

Also known as The Group for the Preservation of the Holy Sites

Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia

Also known as FARC

Also known as Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia

Revolutionary Nuclei

Also known as the Revolutionary People’s Struggle

Also known as Epanastatikos Laikos Agonas

Also known as ELA

Also known as Revolutionary Popular Struggle

Also known as Popular Revolutionary Struggle

Also known as June 78

Also known as Organization of Revolutionary Internationalist Solidarity

Also known as Revolutionary Cells

Also known as Liberation Struggle

[[Page 51090]]

Revolutionary Organization 17 November

Also known as 17 November

Also known as Epanastatiki Organosi 17 Noemvri

Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party/Front

Also known as Devrimci Halk Kurtulus Partisi-Cephesi

Also known as the DHKP/C

Also known as Devrimci Sol

Also known as Revolutionary Left

Also known as Dev Sol

Also known as Dev Sol Silahli Devrimci Birlikleri

Also known as Dev Sol SDB

Also known as Dev Sol Armed Revolutionary Units

Shining Path Also known in Spanish as Sendero Luminoso

Also known as SL

Also known as Partido Comunista del Peru en el Sendero Luminoso de Jose

Carlos Mariategui

Also known as Communist Party of Peru on the Shining Path of Jose

Carlos Mariategui

Also known as Partido Comunista del Peru

Also known as Communist Party of Peru

Also known as PCP

Also known as Socorro Popular del Peru

Also known as People’s Aid of Peru

Also known as SPP

Also known as Ejercito Guerrillero Popular

Also known as People’s Guerrilla Army

Also known as EGP

Also known as Ejercito Popular de Liberacion

Also known as People’s Liberation Army

Also known as the EPL.

Dated: September 28, 2001.

Francis X. Taylor,

Coordinator for Counter-terrorism, Department of State.

[FR Doc. 01-24911 Filed 10-4-01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910-10-P

immigration.com

August 25, 2005 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

MEK sleazy terrorists

Remember those terrorists Iraq was accused of harboring and training before the war? They’re on Washington’s side now.

One of the terrorist organizations that the U.S. accused Iraq of supporting during the run-up to the war, the Mujahedin Khalq (MEK) or the "People’s Combatants", has been lobbying House Republicans and Democrats.

More than 300 U.S. legislators from both parties have at one time or other signed petitions in support of the MEK since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, and MEK spokesmen say they have offered the sect’s services to the United States.

According to a Guardian story, "Now US ponders attack on Iranâ€ (1/18/2005) "the Pentagon was recently contemplating the infiltration of members of the Iranian rebel group, Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK) over the Iraq-Iran border, to collect intelligence. The group, based at Camp Ashraf, near Baghdad, was under the protection of Saddam Hussein, and is under US guard while Washington decides on its strategy. The MEK has been declared a terrorist group by the state department, but a former Farsi-speaking CIA officer said he had been asked by neo-conservatives in the Pentagon to travel to Iraq to oversee ‘MEK cross-border operations’.â€

The MEK started in Iran as an Islamic-Marxist group, and was expelled in 1979 by the Iranian Islamic Fundamentalist Party that took power. They fled to France where the French foreign minister, Claude Cheysson, convinced the MEK leader Massoud Rajavi to work with the Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz and the Iraqi government during the Iraq-Iran War during the 1980s.

Special U.S. Middle East Envoy, Donald Rumsfeld, frequently met with Tariq Aziz in the ’80s and sent biological and chemical weapons to Iraq to be used against the Iranians. Later, again with the knowledge and acceptance of the Bush government, these weapons were used by the Iraqi military against the the Iranian Army with logistical support from the CIA.

The MEK helped the revolutionary Khomeini regime to take power in 1979. Part of their assistance consisted in burning down restaurants and cinemas. The MEK initiated the idea of taking over the U.S. embassy and holding Americans hostage. Yet within a year, MEK leaders decided that the Khomeini regime wasn’t behaving in a "revolutionary" fashion and soon they were plotting to overthrow Khomeini and the Islamic Fundamentalist leaders of Iran.

In 1987, Jacques Chirac, then Prime Minister of France, allowed the MEK to operate outside Paris by signing an agreement with them that they would not kill any Iranians on French soil.

France intentionally dismantled the group in 2002 several months before the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March of 2003."

These sleazy terrorists held a fundraiser for victims of Iran’s devastating December 26 earthquake in January 2004!! Members of congress were invited and many attended. They support a group that kills women and children .

August 23, 2005 0 comments

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