The United Nations says Iraqi authorities are planning to relocate dozens of Iranian exiles from a camp where 52 residents were killed last week.

The UN office in Baghdad said on September 7 that the authorities will transfer the remaining residents of Camp Ashraf in northeastern Iraq to another facility in the Baghdad area.

Camp Ashraf houses members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), an Iranian exile group opposed to the Iranian government that Baghdad says is in the country illegally.

An attack on the camp on September 1 left fewer than 50 residents left.

The group has accused Iraqi troops of carrying out the assault.

The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has set up a probe into the incident. Iraqi officials say no Iraqi troops entered the camp.

Some Iraqi officials allege the violence began with infighting among camp residents. Others suggest explosions at the camp were triggered by mortar fire.

Some 3,000 MKO members were relocated to Camp Liberty on the outskirts of Baghdad last year but some 100 people stayed on at Camp Ashraf to deal with leftover property and goods.

The MKO was founded in the 1960s. The group seeks the overthrow of Iran’s Shi’ite clerical rule, and some of its members fought alongside former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s forces in the Iraq-Iran War of the 1980s.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP

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The group has accused Iraqi troops of carrying out the assault. Iraqi officials have denied it.

MKO spokesman Shahin Ghobadi told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda the Iraqi government was trying to "cover up its criminal act against defenseless, unarmed people."

"Nothing has changed in this situation. The prospect of peace is not clear. The only thing, which is clear is that the UN forces — and most importantly, the U.S. government representatives — should go to that place to see what has happened there," Ghobadi added.

"And as [MKO leader] Mrs. [Maryam] Rajavi has said, the United Nations forces should go the scene so the world could become aware of this crime against humanity."

The U.S. State Department said in a statement on September 1, "Those found to be responsible must be held fully accountable."

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the United Nations "deplored" the violence and urged Iraqi authorities to investigate what he called the "tragic events" at Camp Ashraf.

The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has set up a probe into the incident. Iraqi officials say no Iraqi troops entered the camp.

Some Iraqi officials allege the violence began with infighting among camp residents. Others suggest explosions at the camp were triggered by mortar fire.

Some 3,000 MKO members were relocated to Camp Liberty on the outskirts of Baghdad last year but some 100 people stayed on at Camp Ashraf to deal with leftover property and goods.

The MKO was founded in the 1960s. The group seeks the overthrow of Iran’s Shi’ite clerical rule, and some of its members fought alongside former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s forces in the Iraq-Iran War of the 1980s.

With reporting by AP, AFP, Reuters, and RFE/RL’s Radio Farda

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"Ms. Sabin Mayer, Director of Human Rights and International Relations of EU’s Greens, pointed to the process of talks between Europe and Iran since the government of Khatami and said: "Geopolitically, Iran is important and European Union believes that Iran can be taken out of isolation only by dialogue. Parliament knows that along with talking with Iranian officials, more activity is needed in the field of talking with Iranian opposition, writers and citizens."

She stressed: "Iran criticized invitation of Maryam Rajavi to Strasburg. Iranian officials said that it was an indication that we were backing the idea of regime change. But we denied it. We know that the MKO has not been a democratic group and that it is a closed group. However, in terms of legal issues, EU’s laws were needed to change and therefore, restriction on MKO’s bank accounts in Europe were lifted."

Radio Farda, December 19, 2006

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The political scene of the US recently witnessed two controversial developments, namely the victory of Democrats in recent elections and the report of Iraq Study Group. Will these two development a beginning for a turn in US policies towards Iran?

Amir Mossaddegh Katuzian from Radio Farda posed this question for James Jeffrey Senior Advisor of Secretary of State in Near East Affairs and US policy-making on Iran.

– CQ quoted a former American official, who talked anonymously, that the US army has deployed a number of MKO members to Israel for military training and that some other of these members had been trained in Nevada Deserts earlier. Are you aware of that?

We have also heard about that report. When I was in Baghdad, I followed MKO’s status very carefully. We consider this group a terrorist organization. American forces watch the group so as not to allow them to act against anyone.

This is being performed in coordination with the Red Cross and UNHCR. This program is related to refugees’ affairs and I think these reports are baseless.

– Massoud Rajavi, the leader of the MKO, has disappeared since the fall of Saddam. No one has heard of him. New pictures of him have not been aired by MKO’s TV channel…

He is not in our custody. As far as we know he has never been in our custody. As far as I know he is in Western Europe or in the Middle East, but he is not in Camp Ashraf.

– Does it mean that he is out of Iraq, but he’s under US supervision?

We have no control over him. As the occupying force, according to UN resolutions, we are responsible for the MKO in Iraq. This only applies about the MKO.

Except this, we consider it a terrorist organization and like other terrorist groups such as PKK, Hamas, Hizballah and many others in the Middle East we oppose this organization. We don’t support it.

– What you said about the MKO means that changing Iranian regime is not on the agenda for the US?

What we observe is not to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs. This is related to the people of Iran. Changing regime is related to the people of Iran who would decide about its time. I hope democratic processes would let them do so. For instance, in the upcoming elections which we think is not healthy but we hope it could allow people to have a role in their future, even if limited.

Radio Farda, December 13, 2006

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In an interview with Radio Farda’s Ali Sajjadi, he referred to his membership in the MKO and said: "if a window is opened to the outside world, all MKO members would leave and 100 would barely remain."

MKO announced that Mr. Abbaslou has never been a member of the organization and that he had been expelled to the US-run camp (next to Camp Ashraf). State Department lists MKO as a FTO.

"Remaining members in MKO camp have no hope for future," Abbaslou says.

Ali Sajjadi (Radio Farda): First, I asked Mr. Abbaslou about the history of his cooperation with the Mojahedin-e Khalq organization.

Abbaslou: I was the supporter of MKO inside Iran for nearly 10 years until Afghanistan was freed by US-led coalition when the MKO pressed me to go to Iraq to continue my campaigns there; so, I went to Iraq in June 2002 and joined the MKO. Nearly ten months after the fall of Saddam Hussein, I was still in the organization. In January of 2004, after 45 days of hunger strike and being beaten by the MKO, they sent me to US-run Camp (TIPF) and on July 6th I and four of my friends escaped from US-run camp and Iraq to Europe.

Sajjadi: What about your differences with the MKO in Iraq?

Abbaslou: I joined the MKO with the goal of fighting dictatorship and achieving freedom, democracy and human rights. Unfortunately, since the first day I entered the organization, I understood that the organization was clearly much different from what it advertised. I witnessed violation of human rights on daily basis, politically, organizationally and individually. They forced us to do what we didn’t like. They forced members to divorce their spouses; we had no contact with our families and there was no access to free media and press; everything was under censorship. Most of the forces there had been taken to the camp by promises of a good job, life and.. These convinced me to leave the organization. Every week, I wrote requests for leaving and they always refused. Now, they have announced that "we expelled him from the organization after 5 months". This is not true. I was on hunger strike for 45 days. I didn’t eat for a week and after 45 days of hunger strike, beating me hard and a week of solitary confinement, they agreed to let me go.

Sajjadi: How’s the situation of MKO, particularly after Iraq war and the presence of coalition forces in Iraq?

Abbaslou: The presence of coalition forces in Iraq was a window and I really thank them. Nearly 600 members left the organization and joined the US-run camp; some others escape the MKO’s camp and went directly to Europe and I saw some of them here in Europe; others joined the US camp. But the violation of human rights continues despite the presence of coalition. I myself was beaten by MKO officials and people like Mashrouf Dianati and Behrooz Mohammed Khojini. That was ordered by Vajiheh Karbalayee and Mahnaz Shahnazi. After the coalition forces took control of Iraq, they beat my friends Faramarz and broke the teeth of Ali Dehghani. They thrashed a man called Atta in the middle of the camp and in front of other members. Another member, Mahmoud Moshtaghi was forced to set himself on fire because he was under pressure to divorce his wife; this still continues despite the presence of coalition forces in Iraq. Coalition forces are outside Camp Ashraf and have no control over the internal affairs. The problems of this cult continue and therefore human rights and freedom are violated.

Sajjadi: How many are there now in the camp?

Abbaslou: there must be nearly two thousand members or so in the camp of Mojahedin. When I was in US camp, there remained 250 out of 600 who had defected; others had gone to Iran or had to go to Iran.

Sajjadi: What do they do?

Abbaslou: Nothing. The situation is disappointing. The morale is low. They have to work for the MKO with no rewards. They have no hope for future but I want to tell them that we are pursuing their case here. We try to press human rights groups to find a way for our friends there. The situation is far better for those in US-run camp. They are free, they are in touch with their families and hereby I say to them that "don’t worry and keep your morale."

Sajjadi: You said the organization forced them to work without rewarding them?!

Abbaslou: According to the rules of the cult, the time of these members has been pre-planned for 24 hours of the day. From the time they wake up in the morning they have to work in farm, buildings, road making, kitchen, sanitary duties and;MKO officials try to make them tired so that they don’t think of other things.

Sajjadi: Mr. Abbaslou said that 100 members would reluctantly remain in Camp Ashraf if a window is opened to the outside world. After Mr. Abbaslou’s press conference in Paris, MKO released a statement claiming that Abbaslou has never been in the MKO and after 5 months of joining the MKO he had been deported to US-run camp in 2002. US State Department lists the MKO as a foreign terrorist organization.

Radio Farda

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