Story

The story of Bijar Rahimi

For Bijar Rahimi, 21 years of captivity in a destructive cult means losing the best time of his life. His youth was lost like many other youths who fell into the trap of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK). He was recruited by fraudulent tactics of the MEK while he was seeking a good job, with the dream of a better life and prosperity. He spent 21 years of his life behind the mental and physical bars of the Cult of Rajavi.

Bijar Rahimi was recruited by the MEK shortly before the coalition forces’ invasion to Iraq. In a letter he wrote to the International Red Cross after leaving the MEK, he described his past as follows: “I left Iran 22 years ago with the promise and deception of the MEK to go to Europe to find a better job and improve life through Pakistan border but I was taken to Camp Ashraf in Diyala province, Iraq. I joined the organization one month before the invasion by the coalition forces in 2003. After the fall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the disarmament of the MEK by the United States, I was told that it was not possible to go to Europe. Then I and many other people who came with the same promise were faced with this trick that if we returned to Iran, we would be imprisoned, tortured and executed. Under the pressure of meetings and brainwashing techniques, despite our inner desire, we were forced to stay in the organization.”

Both Bijar and his brother Sarfaraz were caught in the trick of MEK recruiters. Sarfaraz managed to leave the group after the relocation of the group in Albania, but Bijar remained under the mental pressure of the destructive Cult of Rajavi. “The leaders of the Cult of Rajavi deceived me and forced me to stay in the organization by brainwashing and taking an oath, and they wasted 21 years of my life without any salary or savings, without the right to call and communicate with my family, without having a family, and with illness and mental and physical problems.”

Even since he was in Iraq, Bijar wanted to leave the MEK. In his testimonies, he states that in 2016, when he was living in Camp Liberty in Iraq, his asylum case was successfully submitted by Norway through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. But the officials of the MEK dissuaded him from becoming a refugee to Norway and forced him to stay in the organization.

Leaving the MEK thanks to the power of the media

While Bijar was trapped in the MEK’s camp in Manz village in the north of Tirana, his brother, Sarfraz Rahimi, married an Albanian girl named Erisa Edrisi and had a family. Unlike many members of the MEK, whose families are trying to visit them from Iran, Sarfaraz lived a few kilometers away from Bijar in the city of Tirana. His efforts to meet Bijar had been faced with obstacles from the leaders of the MEK. He and his wife wanted their son Ermolindo to meet his uncle Bijar, and this double motivation led them to cooperate with Nejat Society in Iran and to establish Nejat Society Albania.

Since the early days of her marriage with Sarfaraz, Erisa Rahimi was in contact with members of the MEK who were friends of her husband. She, who is the head of Nejat society Albania today, said in his recent interview with News 24 of Albania about her motivation to cooperate with Nejat Society: “Because I was a Persian translator for Iranians, I got to know their pain and suffering inside the MEK so I made a promise to myself, to help them. As a translator, I was with them to go to the doctor and get a residence permit and rent a house, etc. I was very happy when Nejat Society Albania was formed with the help of the Nejat Society Iran because I could better support people in the society. The important task of our association is to help families inside Iran to free their children from the captivity of the MEK.”

The humanitarian and cultural activities of Nejat Society Albania to support MEK defectors, helping to integrate them into the Albanian society and enlightening about the nature of the Cult of Rajavi and its threats to the Albanian society, made Erisa and Sarfraz as activists of the society, to be noticed by the Albanian media. The result of several media appearances of the brother and his wife in the Albanian media was that Bijar became aware of his brother’s health and freedom, despite the lies that his commanders had told him.
In an interview with Bijar, Sarfaraz and Erisa by Euronews Albania, in March 2024, Bijar described the story of his escape from the MEK as follows: “I am fortunate that with the help of Euronews after the attack of the Albanian police on Ashraf 3, I saw Sarfraz and in this way, I got hope and was able to escape. I am very happy now that in addition to being here in Albania, I can contact my other family members in Iran whenever I want, as well as my friends in Europe and anywhere in the world.”

Bijar’s story motivates both media activists and Nejat Society

Aldo Sollulari, a journalist who became acquainted with the Nejat Society Albania and its activities through his career, is today the media manager of the Society and works there along with several other Albanian citizens. In a recent interview with the Albanian News 24, when his couleague asked about the most impressive story of MEK defectors in Albania, he mentioned the story of Bijar and Sarfraz Rahimi. After the Albanian police entered Camp Ashraf 3, Bijar saw the interview that Aldo Solulari had conducted with Sarfaraz and Erisa on News 24. The Interview made Bijar realize that the MEK’s propaganda about his brother was a lie and that his brother is outside the organization, not so far away waiting to see him.
Bijar got a visa (an exit permit by MEK commanders) to leave Camp Manz under the pretext of shopping, and soon after leaving, he submited himself to the Albanian police. He was reunited with his brother’s family with the legal protection of the Albanian police and today enjoys the individual freedoms of a free citizen.

Bijar’s story has some similarities with the stories of some other former members of the MEK. There are other people who, using the negligence of the commanders of the MEK and the opportunity to access the Internet and the media, got the spark in their minds to leave the cult. The most recent example was reported in the Le Monde newspaper’s interview with Mohammadreza Torabi, a former child soldier. In this interview, he admits that the first doubts about Massoud Rajavi’s ideology arose in his mind when he got access to the Internet in Tirana and came across an article on Nejat Society’s website, written by Alireza Mirasgari, about the deliberate murder of his father under the torture of MEK interrogators.

Humanitarian mission of Nejat Society

Thus, we see that the activities of Nejat Society, both in Iran and in Albania, can be effective in destroying the mental bars around the Cult of rajavi, in case of proper media coverage. Media reflection is not only useful in enlightening the public opinion, but it is a narrow but possible way to penetrate the minds of the members trapped behind the mental and physical bars of the cult.

Regardless of any political or religious bias, the mission of the Nejat Society is humanitarian and its goal is to facilitate the communication of families with their loved ones imprisoned in the personality cult of Masoud and Maryam Rajavi. For the activists of the Nejat Society, the release of each person from the destructive cult of Rajavi brings lots of pleasant feelings of success and happiness.

July 10, 2024 0 comments

Iran

Iranian court holds 15th trial session in MKO terrorism case

The 15th trial session of the hearing on crimes of members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group is held in Tehran.

The new round was held at the 11th branch of the criminal court of Tehran province on Tuesday in a case that tries 104 natural persons as well as one legal entity in absentia.

Judge Dehqani, who presided over the session, said judicial notices have already been sent out to all defendants of the case under the Islamic penal code of Iran, stressing that the defendants have neither hired a lawyer nor filed a defense with the court.

He added that anti-terrorism conventions stipulate that prosecution and punishment of those accused of acts of terror fall within the jurisdiction of criminal courts, noting that the conventions are based on the principle of extradition and punishment of the accused.

The states are, therefore, obligated to try those accused of terrorist activities or hand them over to the country which has placed an extradition order, Judge Dehghani pointed out.

He went on to describe the Iranian nation as the biggest victim of terrorism, noting that governments should commit themselves to dealing with terrorism cases as there is no permanent international criminal court with jurisdiction over such cases.

Dealing with acts of terror incorporates principles that do not allow parties to anti-terrorism conventions to host terrorists or issue visas for them.

Judge Dehqani also advised the defendants to return to the country, defend themselves against criminal charges and possibly absolve themselves of liability before it’s too late.

Iran’s top human rights official says the MKO and other terrorist groups suffered another blow by the release of Hamid Nouri, a former judiciary official, from illegal detention in Sweden.

Under the principle of citizenship, countries can prosecute their nationals who have committed crimes outside their territory. Almost all European states have admitted this principle. Terrorism is an international crime and even if it is done with a political motive, it is not considered a political crime and is subject to extradition, he stated.

Accordingly, if a country refuses to extradite those accused of terrorist activities, a red notice will be issued. Therefore, this Iranian criminal court warns the statesmen of those countries hosting terrorists that countries that are members of anti-terrorism conventions are not allowed to offer terrorists refuge, Judge Dehqani stated.

The MKO has carried out numerous terrorist attacks against Iranian civilians and government officials since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Out of the nearly 17,000 Iranians killed in terrorist attacks over the past four decades, about 12,000 have fallen victim to the MKO’s acts of terror.

The European Union, Canada, the United States and Japan had previously listed the MKO as a “terrorist organization.”

In 2012, the group was taken off the US list of terrorist organizations. The EU followed suit, removing the group from its list of terrorist organizations.

July 9, 2024 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

Torture Redefined: The Horrific Engineering Operation

On June 26th, the world comes together to observe the International Day in Support of the Victims of Torture, a day dedicated to recognizing the suffering endured by victims of torture and reaffirming our commitment to eradicating such heinous acts. This day is particularly poignant as we delve into the harrowing events surrounding the “Engineering Operation,” a brutal and calculated act orchestrated by the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) terrorist group. The MEK is an Iranian terrorist cult which, according to valid international documents, has resorted to torture both against its own members and ordinary people opposing it. The atrocities committed during this operation serve as a stark reminder of the enduring need to support victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

On August 13, 1982, no one could have imagined that the arrest of a car thief would unveil a horrific crime, later known as the “Engineering Operation”. Since then, it has been regarded as one of the most barbaric crimes in contemporary Iranian history, perpetrated by members of the MEK. Decades before the birth of ISIS, the MEK perpetrated acts far more savage.

The story began when an individual named Khosrow Zandi, a member of the MEK, was caught by the public while stealing a car intended for use in a terrorist operation. He was handed over to law enforcement. At first, it seemed like a typical car theft, but during interrogation, Zandi revealed one of the most brutal operations by the MEK. He led the officers to an area in northwest Tehran, known as Bagh Feiz, where they had buried alive three bodies.

This operation, which started on final days of July and lasted till mid-August, resulted in the deaths of three members of the Committee, a shoemaker, a teacher, and an engineer who supported the organization. The fundamental question remains: Why did the MEK commit such atrocities?

Ali Akbar Rastgoo, a former member of the MEK, wrote about the “Engineering Operation” in his memoir Mujahedin-e Khalq in the Mirror of History. He explained: “Following severe blows in early 1982 and the exposure of many of their safe houses, the organization ordered the abduction and torture of any suspicious individuals seen around these safe houses to extract information. This new initiative was named the ‘Engineering Operation’ by the organization.”

Khosrow Zandi, the car thief who was arrested, provided crucial information to the prosecution, leading to the discovery of those involved in the crime. His information revealed a house on Bahar Street in Tehran, which was the main site of the operation and the primary torture chamber. Among those arrested in this house was Mehran Asdaghi (alias Bahram), who for several months tried to downplay his role by providing false information to interrogators. However, with the confessions of other detainees, it became clear that Asdaghi was, in fact, the chief military commander of the MEK in Tehran and one of the main torturers.

Asdaghi, who was arrested in August 1982, only fully confessed in 1984 after tens of hours of interrogation and the accumulation of undeniable evidence. His statements became the primary documentation of the MEK’s incredible and horrific crimes during the “Engineering Operation.”

The bodies discovered in the Bagh Feiz area belonged to Mohsen Mirjalili and Taleb Taheri (Committee members), and Abbas Effatravesh (shoemaker). The bodies of Shahrokh Tahmasbi (Committee member), Habib Rousta (a supporter of the organization), and Khosrow Riahi Nazari (a teacher) were found in places like Sohrevardi Street and Abbasabad Hills.

The main safe house used for the “Engineering Operation” belonged to a high-ranking MEK official named Hossein Abrishamchi and was allocated to the special operations unit (terror and torture operations). This house, located in a quiet alley on Bahar Street in Tehran, had two floors, three rooms, a hall, a kitchen, a bathroom, a yard, and a basement.

The relatively large bathroom was soundproofed with several layers of thick plastic sheets to prevent the screams and cries of the tortured individuals from being heard outside. The tools found in this house included ropes of various sizes and materials, cables of different sizes for whipping, masks, handcuffs, short lead pipes, chains, locks, portable gas stoves and skewers, and cyanide.

Mustafa Madanpisheh and another MEK member, known by the alias Jafar, were assigned by the organization to abduct Abbas Effatravesh from his shop. The organization falsely identified him and his wife as informants for the security forces, a complete fabrication. On August 8, 1982, MEK members, disguised as the Committee officers, went to his shop, handcuffed and blindfolded him in their car, and transported him to the torture chamber on Bahar Street.

According to confessions by Mehran Asdaghi, it became clear within the first hours of torture that Abbas knew nothing and had been abducted without reason. Despite this, since the organization’s leadership had ordered his torture and extraction of a confession, the unfortunate shoemaker was subjected to severe torture for several days. Masoud Ghorbani (alias Taghi), the chief torturer of the organization, reportedly told Asdaghi about Effatravesh, “We couldn’t get any information, but we took revenge.”

As part of the “Engineering Operation”, the MEK ensured that no trace of their actions would be exposed. Hence, anyone captured, whether they provided information or not, was killed. Asdaghi recounted the torture of Abbas Effatravesh: “We tied the shoemaker to a chair along with two Committee members, blindfolded them, and knocked them unconscious with lead pipes. Then, we injected them with cyanide, which caused them to make gurgling sounds from their throats. While they were still alive and dying, we bound their bodies with ropes to fit them into the car’s trunk. We placed them in the trunk and at 9 PM, handed the car with the bodies over to Khosrow Zandi, who, along with Jafar Hadian, took them for burial.”

Taleb Taheri (16 years old) and Mohsen Mirjalili (25 years old) were two Committee members who became victims of the MEK’s “Engineering Operation”. They were subjected to the most brutal forms of torture and were ultimately killed.

In August 1982, Taleb and Mohsen were identified by the MEK near the house of the special operations unit (responsible for terror and torture operations) located on Karun Street in Tehran. Hossein Abrishamchi and Mohammad Mehdi Katiraei were present in this house. When Taleb and Mohsen were spotted around the same area for two or three consecutive days, the MEK decided to track and identify them. Disguised as Committee members, the MEK abducted them and took them to the torture house on Bahar Street, which had been prepared in advance.

The torturers in this house were Javad Mohammadi, Mustafa Madanpisheh, and Shahram Roshan Tabar. The primary objective of torturing Taleb and Mohsen was to determine whether the security forces had discovered or infiltrated the special operations house on Karun Street. They were immediately tied to chairs, which were then laid on the ground, and then, the beating with thick, multi-layered cables began.

Asdaghi recounts this story: “That same day, Masoud Ghorbani informed me that Rahmat (Hossein Abrishamchi) had ordered their abduction and that the responsibility for their interrogation lay with him (Masoud). He instructed me to help prepare the interrogation questions to understand how the safe houses were being compromised. Thus, I took a leading role in this process, acting as someone who carried out the central leadership’s directives. To instill fear, we wore masks. I did the same and entered the bathroom. I saw a 16- or 17-year-old boy in the corner of the bathroom, his hands and feet chained. His name was Taleb Taheri. His legs were bruised and swollen. His body and the soles of his feet were blistered. Then I went to another room to see another person named Mohsen Mirjalili. He was around 24 or 25 years old, sitting in the corner of the room with his hands and feet chained. His body, like Taleb’s, had been severely tortured with cables”.

Taleb and Mohsen were whipped so severely that their feet blistered. The MEK would then whip the blisters until they burst. The torturers would dress their feet to prepare them for the next round of torture. Ghorbani and Asdaghi repeatedly asked them the same questions, and they continuously denied any knowledge. Since the organization’s leadership insisted that the two must have information, their torture continued relentlessly. In his interrogation notes, Asdaghi quoted Madanpisheh: “We tortured them a lot yesterday to find out if they were monitoring the house, but they denied it. Apparently, they were not monitoring the house”.

The MEK poured boiling water over the blisters on the bodies of these Committee members, causing their skin to crack and the blisters to burst. Throughout the torture, Taleb and Mohsen repeatedly lost and regained consciousness. Mehran Asdaghi recounts the brutality: “I poured hot water over their heads and faces, causing blisters. Blood was flowing from every part of their bodies. Taher (Javad Mohammadi) would drag a knife tip across their bodies, leaving no part unscathed.”

When these horrific tortures failed to yield results, Masoud Ghorbani (Taghi) instructed Asdaghi to bring an iron. Ghorbani heated the iron and pressed it against Mohsen Mirjalili’s back. Asdaghi describes the scene: “Mohsen’s mouth opened in a bizarre way from the pain, and he lost consciousness. The smell of burning flesh filled the air. I was terrified. Masoud was also scared, but he tried to appear composed”.

Javad Mohammadi repeatedly slashed Taleb’s arm with a knife until blood spurted out on the third cut. Taleb’s body convulsed in pain. When Taleb attempted to speak, Javad punched him in the mouth, then struck his jaw and mouth with a lead rod, breaking his teeth. Javad continued to beat other parts of Taleb’s body with the rod. Asdaghi continues: “Mohsen regained consciousness, and Masoud instructed me to bring boiling water. I brought it, and Masoud said, ‘Pour it on his legs.’ I wanted to pour it all at once, but Masoud gestured to pour it slowly for more pain. I did as he said, causing all the blisters on Mohsen’s legs to burst in a gruesome way, with the skin peeling off. Mohsen fainted, and when he woke up, he scratched at his trousers. Masoud poured boiling water on Mohsen’s hands, causing them to swell, wrinkle, and look cooked.”

In another corner of the room, Javad Mohammadi sliced Taleb’s scalp with a knife, causing him to pass out. When Taleb regained consciousness and tried to speak, the malicious torturer cut off his ear, then sliced off his nose. Asdaghi recalls: “A lot of blood gushed from Taleb’s head and face, covering him in blood, and he fainted again. While Taleb was unconscious, Javad pressed the knife against his eye, causing blood to spurt from it.”

In the meantime, the beating of Mohsen Mirjalili with cables continued. Mohsen’s body was so weakened that when Asdaghi was whipping him, Masoud Ghorbani held his head, tearing out a handful of Mohsen’s hair.

In another corner of the room, Javad Mohammadi continued torturing the frail and broken body of young Taleb. Taleb, unconscious and with blood dried on various parts of his face, was still being tortured on the chair, while Javad used pliers to pull out his teeth. Blood poured from Taleb’s mouth, which had a foul odor.

Javad Mohammadi (Taher), despite the semi-conscious state of Taleb, demanded information from him. Naturally, even if Taleb had wanted to speak, he was in no condition to do so. Taher, seemingly intoxicated with violence and sadism, resorted to a horrific act. He brought a portable stove and a metal skewer, heating the skewer until it was red-hot, and pressed it against Taleb’s thigh. The third time, he pressed it against Taleb’s sensitive areas through his trousers, causing the young boy’s body to go into shock. According to the Revolutionary Court documents, the torturers were not satisfied with this and committed further unspeakable acts that are too shameful to describe.

Asdaghi recounts the rest of the events: “They regained consciousness a few more times by the afternoon… In the afternoon, due to panic, Mustafa Madanpisheh accidentally fired a shot when Mohsen Mirjalili moved, forcing us to evacuate the house.”

The torturers then used lead rods to knock Taleb and Mohsen unconscious and injected them with cyanide. With their bodies half-burned, skin torn, and flesh shredded, they were still breathing and dying. They were wrapped in blankets, tied with ropes, and placed in the trunk of a car.

At 9 PM, we handed over the car to Khosrow Zandi and Mohammad Jafar Hadian in Nezamabad Street to take the bodies for burial in the surrounding deserts. When the torture incident was revealed, the MEK did not anticipate the severe backlash it would face. The massive turnout for the funeral processions and the discontent among the organization’s members were unexpected. The leaders instructed us to say nothing about the incident to the members, and if anyone asked, we were to claim it was the regime’s doing.

In addition to those previously mentioned, another victim of the MEK’s “Engineering Operation” was Habib Rousta, a 28-year-old engineer and board member of Persi-Gas Company. Rousta was a supporter of the organization, providing financial aid and using his home to hide members. Despite his loyalty, the MEK became suspicious of him after the numerous blows they suffered in late 1981 and early 1982. Habib Rousta was abducted by the organization despite the baseless nature of their suspicions. He was brutally tortured for several days in the Bahar Street torture house by Javad Mohammadi, Mehran Asdaghi, and Masoud Ghorbani, ultimately dying from the severe injuries.

by Habilian (Iranian Families of Terror Victims)
Written by Tehran Times – Created: Jun 26, 2024
https://www.habilian.ir/en/202406264939/perspectives/torture-redefined-the-horrific-engineering-operation.html

July 7, 2024 0 comments

The cult of Rajavi

MEK child soldier committed suicide due to mental pressures

Out of a thousand children of the parents who were members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), each of them suffered a different fate. The documentary “Children of Camp Ashraf” depicts the adventures of four of these children who were smuggled to Sweden and now they are Swedish citizens. However, in this documentary there are references to the lives of some other children: child soldiers who were victims of Massoud Rajavi’s destructive cult. Ehsan Shakeri was a child soldier of the Cult of Rajavi who was not left free by the MEK even after he had departed Camp Ashraf, Iraq.

Sara Moien’s documentary, Children of Camp Ashraf, narrates the story of Atefeh Sebdani, Amir Yaghmai, Hanif Bali and Parwin Hosseinnia. In a scene of the film, Amir Yaghmai is on his knee near the grave of his friend, Ehsan.

Who was Ehsan?

Ehsan Shakeri was living in Sweden together with his mother and daughter when the recruiters of the Mujahedin khalq deceived him to join the MEK’s so-called National Liberation Army, in Iraq. He became a member of the MEK’s militia force –better said, child soldiers but shortly after, he came to know that the repressive ruling of the Rajavis over the MEK is not tolerable. He criticized the group and he was labeled as mercenary of the Iranian government. The labeling was continued by the MEK propaganda until Ehsan killed himself.

The young emotional Ehsan could not bear the military life in the MEK where he had to receive military trainings, he had to attend self-criticism sessions and he had to forget family life. He had missed his mother and sister. Thus, he began questioning the commanders and eventually he became the problematic element for his commander, Zhila Deihim.
“Ehsan asked to leave the MEK and go back to Sweden several times but in response he was punished by Zhila Deihim,” former member of the MEK Reza Gooran writes in his memories about his involvement in the MEK. “Zhila jailed Ehsan in solitary confinement in Street 400 of camp Ashraf, beating him and insulting him”. Reza Gooran was in the same unit with Ehsan after they both left Camp Ashraf and joined the American temporary camp for MEK’s defectors (TIPF), in 2004.

Ehsan was good in English, so the American forces employed him as their interpreter. However, Zhila Deihim did not leave Ehsan alone, in TIPT. She used to come there to visit Ehsan asking him to spy on the other defectors who resided there. Therefore, Ehsan was called spy by his peers and consequently the Americans fired him just because the MEK commander wanted him to work as their mercenary.

Actually, Ehsan was not a spy but Zhila Deihim wanted him to be. Ehsan just wanted to get back to his family. Reza Gooran tried to support him in TIPF but both of them were under pressure, previously in the MEK and now in TIPF. “Ehsan was like my younger brother, I really loved him,” Reza says.

Amir Yaghmai, former child soldier who had left the MEK too and was in TIPF at the time, confirms Reza Gooran’s account in the Club House room, attended by former members and former child soldiers of the MEK. He says, “I was in TIPF with Ehsan and Reza. Reza was so supportive to Ehsan. The American forces had jailed Ehsan in solitary confinement for one month. Then he was released and he went to Iran inevitably and from there he immigrated to Sweden. The MEK labeled him as a mercenary of the Iranian government publishing several announcements to accuse him of being the agent of the Iranian intelligence in its websites.”

Ehsan Shakeri was announced as the agent of the Islamic republic by the MEK just because he had gone to Iran and had stayed there for a short time before moving to Sweden. Based on the MEK rhetoric, returning to Iran equals with working with Iranian government which is the enemy of the group.

“In 2009, –I do not mean that it was just because of the MEK but—he was under severe mental pressure and finally, as what Reza said, we heard that Ehsan hanged himself by the neck in the jungles of Sweden,” Amir Yaghmai says. “He was a child of ours (Mujahedin); his father had been killed. His mother and sister live in Sweden. The MEK shot him by calling him “mercenary! Mercenary! mercenary! I was the only witness there. I saw what he endured. If I were in his shoes at the time, I might have gone to Iran too. Once he came to Sweden trying to build a new life, the MEK constantly published announcements against him.”

Ehsan was never a mercenary, neither for Iran nor for the MEK. He could not manage to endure such accusations. He committed suicide after enduring too much mental pressure.

By Mazda Parsi

July 6, 2024 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq Organization's Propaganda System

Huge costs, numerous speakers and almost no news coverage

The annual meeting of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) was held on Sunday, July 9th. This year’s Rajavi rally was held in Berlin. Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the organization, was unable to attend the ceremony due to a legal ban on leaving France. She addressed the gathering via video conference, but a list of 35 former Western officials spoke at the ceremony.
Western officials from Canada and the United States to France, Italy, Britain and Estonia attended the gathering, which was called “Free Iran Summit 2024”. Naturally, these people did not mention in their speeches how much money they had been paid for speaking in support of the MEK, but according to the reports of the Western media in the past years, former officials are paid high five-digit fees for five-minute speeches in MEK rallies.

For example, John Bolton, the former security advisor of US, had received at least 180,000 dollars in speaking fees from the political platform of the MEK, the so-called National Council of Resistance until May 2019. Add the costs of first-class flights to Berlin and stay in luxurious hotels to the speaking fees. Then, Multiply the average amount by at least 36. This is only one part of the expenses of the annual meeting of the MEK.

Among the other exorbitant expenses for holding the gathering of the Cult of Rajavi, one can mention demonstrators from all over Europe, renting non-Iranian participants, transporting them, preparing vests, hats, flags and brochures for them and giving them food and drinks. Yes, so far, no Iranian opposition has managed to cover such expenses for a one-day gathering. But what does the MEK gain by paying these costs?

Despite the large number of cameras and monitors in the gathering on July 9, the news coverage of the event was almost nothing. Even the Iran International TV channel, which sometimes covered the gathering of the group in previous years, ignored the event this year. In the English language media, the situation is even worse. In a simple search on Google, almost all of the sites publishing the news of the rally in English belong to or are affiliated with the MEK.

large investments of the MEK on the dollars they were paid by Saddam Hussein in the 1980s and thousands of brainwashed organizational forces have not brought good profits to the group. Meanwhile, last week, a small group of former members of the MEK and Albanian citizens who are members of Nejat Society Albania managed to attract the attention of a large number of Albanian people and media by holding a simple meeting with the lowest expenses in Tirana. They succeeded to get enough attention in their own scale.

After this year’s gathering, social media users did not care about the use of anti-Mujahideen hashtags and somehow preferred to ignore the group and its leaders. Ignoring the MEK is the best way to face this destructive cult and the best way to prove that it is not popular.

The gatherings of the MEK with their contradictory slogans are part of the Rajavis’ propaganda, which has been neglected by Iranians inside and outside the country for years. Consciously ignoring the MEK indicates that the Iranian audience is always several steps ahead of the propaganda machine of the group.

By Mazda Parsi

July 3, 2024 0 comments

Iran

Host Government Complicit in Forcible Detention of MEK Members

Judge Dehghani Nia, the presiding judge in the trial of 104 members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) terrorist group, stated that many members of the group are being held forcibly in the MEK’s camp, which could implicate the host governments in detaining individuals illegally.

The judge addressed European and Albanian judicial authorities, saying that if the court trying MEK members receives complaints from the families of these members, the court will deal with these complaints according to the law. Many of these individuals are being held there against their will.

The judge went further, stating that although this specific accusation is not formally part of the charges, it will still be considered under Article 341 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Essentially, if the allegation is true, it implicates the governments housing these MEK members in imprisoning individuals who do not wish to be there. This is a serious accusation that holds these countries accountable.

Judge Dehghani Nia also extended an invitation for broader participation. He announced that the court will release a contact number specifically for complaints. This hotline is available to anyone, including Iranians living abroad, who wish to file a complaint against the MEK, the governments hosting them, or the defendants in this case. Individuals can use this number and other methods to contact Branch 11 of the Tehran Province Criminal Court 1.

Finally, he issued a warning to the host countries of the MKO group, stating, “These governments are hereby notified that if we receive a complaint regarding their actions, the court will initiate proceedings and take legal action against them in accordance with the regulations.”

July 3, 2024 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

MEK, a common enemy of all nations

Every year, on June 26th, the world observes the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, underscoring a global commitment to condemn and eradicate this barbaric practice.

This solemn day serves as a poignant reminder of the suffering inflicted upon individuals subjected to torture, emphasizing their rights to justice and rehabilitation and the need to bring perpetrators to justice.

Against this backdrop of international condemnation, recent legal proceedings in Iran have drawn the public attention to the egregious actions of the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), a terrorist group known for its brutal campaigns against civilians. Notorious among these acts was the “Engineering Operations,” which struck fear into the hearts of Tehran’s populace, illustrating the group’s ruthless methods.

Currently facing trial in Iran, the MEK stands accused of orchestrating these heinous crimes. The 13th court session, originally convened to address these charges, highlights the broader issue of torture as an affront to human dignity and a violation of international law.

On August 8, 1982 (17th of Mordad, 1361), MEK members received orders to abduct individuals under suspicion of involvement with their compromised safe houses. After the abductions, these individuals were taken to designated locations. The MEK elements bound the captives’ hands and feet, subjecting them to arbitrary beatings with cables on their feet and bodies, causing severe bruising. The wounds were hastily bandaged, only to be reopened as the torture was repeated. The victims often lost consciousness under the relentless torture sessions.

Despite realizing the wrongful abduction and the captives’ lack of any useful intelligence, the torturers persisted in their brutal methods. Forensic medical reports confirmed burn marks from boiling water on the victims’ heads and faces. Additionally, lacerations inflicted with sharp objects were documented all over their bodies. In their confessions, members of the MEK admitted to stabbing victims with knives in non-vital areas to avoid excessive bleeding. The perpetrators escalated their violence by burning one of the victims with an iron and repeatedly slashing another victim’s arm with a knife, tearing muscle tissues and causing deep wounds.

This account vividly illustrates the barbarity and the inhumanity inflicted upon the victims during the “Engineering Operation,” showcasing the MEK’s ruthless disregard for human life and dignity.

During the Operation, the MEK systematically mutilated their victims, cutting their scalp, ears, and noses with knives, and even gouging out their eyes. Forensic medical reports confirmed the presence of heavy metal objects (likely lead pipes) inflicted on the victims’ head and jaw. The torturers of the MEK confessed to pulling out the teeth of one victim using pliers and inserting a metal skewer, heated with a red-hot poker, into the victim’s thigh and body.

Eventually, the cruelty reached its peak when the MEK administered cyanide to victims who were still alive, followed by their burial.

While Operation targeted civilians who did not adhere to the MEK, the group also inflicted severe torture on its own members and supporters, as revealed during the group’s thirteenth trial session in the Iranian court. A former member positioned as a witness testified about the brutalities and tortures that the MEK sanctioned against its own members and sympathizers.

During a period when suspicions arose about me within the group, “they imprisoned me. In the prison, they hanged me upside down, threw food on the ground, and drilled a hole in my tooth, inserting a wire into it,” recounted the former member.

Acts of violence such as torture, due to their inhumanity and violation of human principles, were brought before international bodies as early as 1899. These actions were prohibited under the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907. Over time, supplementary laws were added, and legal scholars increasingly recognized the anti-humanitarian effects of torture, leading to its universal prohibition. Key prohibitive laws include Article 3 of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and the Protocols of 1977. Additionally, the European and American Conventions on Human Rights condemned torture under Articles 3 and 5(2), respectively. Between 1973 and 1976, the United Nations General Assembly issued five resolutions unanimously, culminating in the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This convention solidified the foundation for prohibiting torture globally.

Article 1 of the Convention defines torture as:

“Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. Torture does not include pain or suffering arising only from lawful sanctions or inherent or incidental to lawful sanctions”

Furthermore, Article 2 of the Convention obligates states to take necessary measures to prevent acts of severe violence and torture within their jurisdiction. Article 4 of the Convention criminalizes torture and requires states to prosecute perpetrators.

The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, under Article 38, explicitly states: “All forms of torture to obtain confessions or information are prohibited; forcing a person to testify, confess, or swear is not permissible, and such testimony, confession, or oath is devoid of value and credibility.”

Ensuring the enforcement of Article 38, Article 578 of the Islamic Penal Code stipulates: “Any official, judicial or non-judicial, who physically abuses and harasses a suspect to force a confession, in addition to qisas (retaliation) or payment of diya (blood money), shall be sentenced to imprisonment from six months to three years. If the victim dies due to torture, the actual perpetrator will face the punishment for murder, and the commanding officer will be sentenced for ordering the murder.”

It is evident that the crime of torture primarily pertains to officials whose aim is to extract information or confessions, as specified in the Convention. However, in cases of abduction by criminal syndicates, where severe violence is observed, the purpose is not to obtain confessions or information but rather to coerce negotiation and demonstrate seriousness in their statements.

The MEK terrorist group has repeatedly engaged in severe acts of violence and torture against Iranian and Iraqi citizens to obtain information and confessions. Torture, categorized among crimes against humanity, is universally condemned and considered reprehensible by all members of the global community. Perpetrators of such acts can be deemed enemies of all nations. Therefore, under the principle of universal jurisdiction, any state has the right to pursue, prosecute, and punish such criminals. Given the egregious nature of their actions, MEK members involved in torture and violence may face international accountability for their crimes.

**The article has been supplied to the IRNA by the Habilian Association, a human rights NGO that represent the Iranian families of terror victims

July 2, 2024 0 comments

France

France bans Maryam Rajavi from leaving the country

The French police have reportedly banned the chieftain of the notorious anti-Iran Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group from leaving the country after discovering evidence of criminal acts at her residence.

After attacking the bases of Mojahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO) in Paris and acquiring evidence of money laundering, espionage equipment, weapons and illegitimate individuals, the French police issued an exit ban on the 70-year-old chieftain of terrorist group Maryam Rajavi as the investigation on her case continues.

On June 12, the French police attacked one of the MKO bases in Paris, discovering illegal weapons, while 3 members of the group were also detained.

Maryam Rajavi, the chieftain of the terrorist group, who is currently in a serious physical condition and her medical team has given up hope of her recovery, was banned from leaving and entering by the Albanian police last year.

June 30, 2024 0 comments

The cult of Rajavi

Albert Bonniers Publication report on Children of Camp Ashraf

The documentary Children of Camp Ashraf is shown on SVT
Atefeh Sebdani takes part in the documentary The Children of Camp Ashraf, which is shown on SVT. It is about the militant organization Mujahedin-e Khalq and a number of child soldiers with different fates. During the early 1990s, hundreds of children were sent from the camp in Iraq to be raised by sympathizers in other countries. They would then return to overthrow the regime in Iran.

Amir, Parwin, Hanif and Atefeh are four of the children who ended up in Sweden, and in Sara Moein’s deeply engaging documentary, they tell rich archive material about their experiences. They are also trying to reconnect with the organization and their parents, who are now in Albania.

About Atefeh Sendani

Atefeh Sebdani, born in 1986 in Esfahan, Iran, is an engineer and has worked as a digital strategist and business developer in tech. She lives in Stockholm, is an award-winning lecturer and runs the Instagram account @atefeh_sebdani. In August 2022, she published her autobiographical book “My hand in mine”.

About My hand in mine

“She had promised me that it would always be me and her. Us against the world, us in the world. Now she was crying too and there were people around us watching. ‘Please . . . mother. . . stop . . . please mom . . . I do not want to.’ ”

Why do you abandon your children? Atefeh is five years old when her mother hugs her goodbye outside a worn-out bus on a dusty desert road. Together with his two younger brothers, Atefeh is smuggled to Europe. The parents are soldiers in an Iranian resistance movement and remain in the organization’s military camp. In a stroke, the five-year-old is the mother of her brothers.

My hand in mine is a story about growing up with no one to hold on to but yourself, of abuses skillfully cleaned up and of a society that fails to see the vulnerable child. But it is also a story of a stubborn burning vitality, and of the courage to finally break free.

June 29, 2024 0 comments

Former members of the MEK

The great gathering of Nejat Society Albania in Tirana

On June 23, 2024, Nejat Society Albania, as a supporter of Iranians living in Albania and as an officially registered Albanian institute, held a large gathering with public invitation in Tufinë district of Tirana.

The purpose of holding this gathering was to express the demands and goals of the Nejat Society Albania, which was announced as follows:
“No to the violation of human rights in the Mujahedin-e Khalq camp in Manz, Durres”
“Yes to visit between the mothers and their children in the MEK’s camp in Manz, Durres””
“No to the separation of men and women in the MEK’s camp in Manz, Durres”
“Yes to the release of the confined members in the MEK’s camp in Manz, Durres”

The gathering had more than 500 participants. A large number of human rights associations and civil rights, women’s rights and mothers’ rights activists in Tirana participated the event and supported its goals.

The great gathering of the Nejat Society Albania started at 10:00 am with the opening clip broadcast on the big wide screen. Then, Erisa Idrisi (Rahimi), the head of the society thanked all the participants. She also thanked the Albanian government and police for making it possible for them to establish the Nejat Society Albania and implement the event. She explained about the society and its goals, as well as the MEK.

Nejat Albania’s great gathering

Idrisi also appreciated the managing director of Nejat Society, Ebrahim Khodabandeh, for supporting and guiding the society of Albania. Pointing to the fact that they have not yet reached their main commitment, which is the release of all the members trapped in the MEK camp in Manz, Durres, and the meeting of the families with their children.

A documentary which highlights the cut-like and anti-family nature of the MEK was aired, which shocked the audience by the realities about the group.

The second speaker of the event Angjela Doçi, the head of the student defense committee of the Nejat Society Albania, said: “The MEK camp in Manz in Durres has very strict rules that actually torture the residents there. Residents of this camp are not allowed to talk or communicate with their family members. They are not allowed to think freely, they cannot even breathe freely. Their suffering has no end, but it increases day by day and their lives become more and more hell, a burning hell that burns their souls and break their hearts.”

Angjela Doçi

The next speaker was Ela Deda, the legal director of Nejat Society Albania. Deda said: “Today, we have gathered in this conference to talk about the rights of migrant refugees, especially the Iranian members of Nejat Society Albania and all the MEK members who are imprisoned in the group’s camp in Manz, Durres. It has been two years since I joined Nejat Society Albania to support a very important goal, namely the freedom and human rights of former members of the MEK, and to convey their valuable messages in order to have a small contribution to the unification of as many families as possible. Human rights are an important part of legal theories and an important philosophical-political concept. Among the basic human rights, we can mention the right to individual freedoms, the right to life, the right to self-determination, the right to choose a religion, etc. Human rights describe the concept that all people are born with universal human rights. Human rights do not only mean freedom from coercion, discrimination and abuse. Human rights must be current in all aspects of our life with maximum potential. Human rights compel governments to protect our freedoms and work to ensure dignity, justice and inclusion for all.”

Ela Deda, the legal director of Nejat Society Albania

The gathering went on with airing a clip of the families of MEK members inside Iran. Consequently, the attendees were deeply affected by the stories of mourning mothers and fathers who miss their loved ones who are barred in the MEK camp. Many shed tears after watching the clip.

Mehdi Soleimani, former member of the MEK and an active member of the society, gave a speech in Albanian. Mehdi Soleimani said: “I was in the MEK for fourteen years and I lived with them. The MEK is a Cult-like group and its members do not have the right to have any relationship with the outside world of the cult. I was in a prison called MEK for fourteen years and during this time I could not talk to my mother, father, siblings. According to the MEK, the family is considered an enemy and one should not talk to them. Many people who came to Tirana ran away from the MEK while going to the doctor or in the dark of the night. When I escaped from the MEK, it took me a month to find my brother’s phone number. When I called him, he didn’t know me. After I gave several addresses and told the names of my father, mother and sister, my brother recognized me and said that he would go home and call at night. At night when he called, the whole family was gathered. When I talked to my mother, she said this is not my Mehdi. I again showed that it was me so that she recognized me and started crying. For a week, I only talked to my mother from morning to night. During that week my mother only cried and spoke a few sentences and then cried again.”

Ebrahim Khodabande, the CEO of Nejat Society, spoke live to theaudiance. He said:

“Greetings to all the respected audience and thank you for making it to gather here to support the goals of Nejat Society Albania. I would like to thank each and every member and officials of Nejat Society Albania, both Iranian and Albanian, and also appreciate the assistance of the authorities of the Albanian government who made the establishment and registration of the Nejat Society possible.

“Nejat Society belongs to families who are in Iran far away from their loved ones in the MEK camp because the leaders of the MEK do not allow their members to communicate with their families. Nejat Association tries to somehow provide the possibility of communication between families and members living in the MEK camp in Durres.

“Many news is heard that the leaders of the MEK do not respect and recognize the minimum rights of their members in this camp. It is also heard that the Albanian government is not allowed to interfere in the affairs of this camp, which is in Albanian territory.

“On behalf of thousands of families in Iran, I request the government of Albania to exercise its sovereignty over this camp and ensure that human rights are respected in this camp in accordance with the standards of the Council of Europe Human Rights Convention, of which the Republic of Albania is one of the signatories.

“Thank you again to all of you who came together to defend the goals of Nejat Society and I request you to ask the responsible authorities in the Albanian government why the Albanian government cannot or will not exercise its sovereignty over this camp. And is it really true that this camp in Durres is under the absolute control of the leaders of the People’s Mojahedin Organization?”

Soraya Abdullahi, the mother of Amir Aslan Hassanzadeh, and Masoumeh Rezaei, the mother of Saeed Farajullah Hosseini, spoke live on behalf of all mothers and families in Iran, and spoke about the pain and suffering of the separation of tens of years, which touched the audience immensely. They urged the Albanian government to make arrangements to connect these heartbroken mothers and expectant families with their loved ones. Their words were accompanied by expressions of emotion and continuous praise from the audience.

RTSH report on the great gathering of Nejat Albania

The great gathering of Nejat Society Albania was also welcomed by the media. TV and radio channels and various publications covered this gathering by sending a team of reporters and cameramen. Famous and popular televisions including: RTSH 1 (Nationwide State Television Network), RTSH NEWS (national state television news network), NEWS 24, ALPHAPRESS TV, ATV, Tirana 1, TRING TV, BIO NEWS, PUBLIALB and Kristal TV covered the event.

June 24, 2024 0 comments

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