Articles

++ The MEK’s systematic swearing continues against Mesdaghi, Yaghmai, Ghassim and Rowhani – the latest four to defect and publicly criticise the MEK. As usual, the MEK have created new websites and made up new names and associations to swear at them. There has been much reaction to these activities, which everyone identifies as an effort to divert attention from the actual questions which have been raised by these critics. One short article this week from Atefeh Eghbal, us titled, ‘Is it really possible?’ She examines the MEK reaction and begs the question, ‘even if we accept everything the MEK says, that we are all agents of the regime, we are torturers and murderers and rapists, still is it really possible that people have or will forget what the original questions were which were directed at Massoud Rajavi. Where did these questions go?’

++ There have still been a few articles expanding on Rajavi’s remark that he is only responsible for the souls of his followers and what happens on Judgement Day, and that he has no clue or responsibility about the overthrow of the Iranian regime or when that may occur.

++ This week a delegation from Aryia Association in Paris had meetings at the Albanian embassy. The delegation thanked the government of Albania for its humanitarian act of accepting 210 MEK as refugees from Camp Liberty. They further explained, with documents and evidence, how the MEK is attempting to create a new camp like they had in Iraq how they exert pressure on the new arrivals to conform to the cult will.

++ One of the series of people from the NCRI brought to swear at Ghassim and Rowhani is Moslem Filabi. Many articles have been written criticising him on various levels. One is that he is still living on his reputation as a wrestler forty years ago which the MEK uses for advertising purposes. Also many criticise him for having never been political and not attending any NCRI meetings or getting involved. They say he is paid for writing whatever the MEK dictate for him although he has no clue about what is happening in the world. The articles point out he is not an unknown creature for anyone and that he really ought to shut up.

++ Behzad Alishahi was this week’s guest on Mardom TV. He had an open line and answered various views and questions put to him by viewers. The questions varied from asking about the families at Camp Liberty to the accusation that he is biased and therefore shouldn’t be allowed to speak. Alishahi answered by acknowledging “I am is not neutral. I wish I could be, but with all the things I have seen and experienced with the MEK, it is impossible. That, however, is not important. What matters is that the people are neutral. Since the MEK is not neutral either, let us sit together and discuss this from both sides and let the people decide.” When asked whether he is an ‘agent of the Iranian regime’ Alishahi thanked the questioner for this and said, “normally the MEK line is never to make these accusations directly because this is the start of a dialogue. Instead you are only supposed to swear at me in a place where I can’t answer. So, as a supporter if the MEK, either knowingly or not you have crossed the red line. We can start the conversation and you will see that I have points we can discuss and share.” He then goes on to explain how the MEK have been used by Iran and how the MEK try to wipe out the questions by shouting and threatening. He reminded the questioner that he has never written any letter to any official in Iran but Massoud Rajavi has and is frequently doing so and that this is just the surface of his relations. Some other questions involved his years with the MEK and what he feels is his responsibility for what happened when Iraq was at war with Iran and during other episodes in the MEK’s history.

++ Ghader Rahmani has written an article for Nim-Negah directed at Rowhani and Ghassim. While welcoming their resignations and their distancing from the MEK, he reminds them that they have to criticise their own past themselves. He reminds them specifically of the time in Baghdad that Rajavi suddenly expanded the NCRI from tens to 500 members by appointing hundreds of MEK. At that time, says Rahmani, those MEK who were forced to join had questions in their minds and didn’t want to be members of the NCRI. However because that was the era of Saddam and they had to obey orders. However, although you two didn’t have to obey you accepted this and didn’t raise your voices to object. On top of that, for two decades you accepted someone like Maryam Rajavi as your so-called president elect.

++ As usual MEK TV broadcast swearing sessions against its critics, this time bringing Mehdi Abrishamchi – Maryam Rajavi’s first husband and famous inside the MEK as a lumpen. As part of the programme, MEK callers began issuing threats against Yaghmai, Mesdaghi and others saying they would not only kill them but chop them into pieces. In response there have been many articles, some of which remind Abrishamchi that the era of Saddam has passed and the MEK should grow up and live with the reality of Western countries. Yaghmai has answered in his blog, explaining the words and phrases the MEK use and comparing them with the likes of Hassan Sabah and the Assassin cult and how they were sent to chop people up. He asks, “is this what you mean?” He has also published a poem, titled ‘I am vomiting’. He describes his disappointment that over the years he has been fooled and had helped the cult and lost everything. In the end he comes out on top and says that ‘if I only have one more day to live, I will not sit and do nothing’.

++ Several articles directed at Massoud Rajavi say ‘isn’t it better that you ‘get lost’, rather than your followers?’

++ Adam Scherck for Associated Press in Baghadad reports that Georges Bakoos, who oversees the MEK issue for the Iraqi government, dismissed as “propaganda” the dissident group’s allegations of persecution. He acknowledged there are occasional power cuts at the camp but said they are no different as those in other parts of Iraq. “I can assure you no order was given” to cut off supplies, he said. Iraqi officials are, however, moving ahead with court proceedings to evict the Camp Ashraf holdouts, possibly as soon as in the next few weeks, Bakoos said.

++ Mehdi Khoshal has written an article titled, ‘Getting and Giving’. He explains how Rajavi has lost one thing after another because he never had dared to give anything. Rajavi always wants to get but can never pay the price to gain anything worthwhile.

++ In an interview with Ashraf News translated into English, a former independent member of Iraq’s House of Representatives, Hussein al-Falluji, has revealed that from the time of their arrival, the occupying American forces granted the Mojahedin Khalq organisation immunity and freedom of movement within the country to coordinate with some other groups and political parties in Iraq. He concluded that the situation posed by the MEK and the increasing number of extremist armed groups which are waiting for the opportunity to work together to target the security of Iraq poses a challenge.

++ Hanif Heydar Nejat has published his series of articles on Forough Javidan as a book in Farsi. He has also written, as have others, about the MEK TV programme and the death threats etc. He puts it that it is obvious that when the head of the MEK does not directly reject these comments which have been broadcast from his television, then we can consider that any future occurrence has been directly ordered by him.

++ Atefeh Eghbal wrote an article about the people in Camp Ashraf and says that it is ridiculous to claim, as the MEK do, that these 100 people are there to look after their belongings. This doesn’t match with anything and everyone is clear they are not there for that. She compares the bad conditions of Camp Liberty and Camp Ashraf which the MEK themselves claim to the conditions at Auvers-sur-Oise and asks, ‘after 30 years, what is really the mission of these 100 people who are suffering deprivation and what really is the mission of those in France eating well and enjoying themselves in comfort.

++ Milad Aryiai has a short article in Pen Association in Germany saying that after 90 days since a couple of people have left the NCRI, and nothing more, Rajavi has still dropped everything else and is doing nothing but creating allegations against them and swearing at them. In a world in which it is usual that you join an organisation willingly and leave when you want, Rajavi’s reaction shows how corrupt his thinking is that he believes they shouldn’t be allowed to behave like this.

++ Many write about the possible break-up of the MEK as day by day it is collapsing in on itself. They question whether there a possibility that a new faction break off and rescue the forces with a new name or something.

++ Press TV in English covered a press conference in Tehran in which two former members of the terrorist MEK elaborated on the terrorist nature of the group which has a long history of hostility and terrorist attacks against the Iranian nation. Ebrahim Khodabandeh and Maryam Sanjabi both worked for the MEK for over 20 years before escaping from the group’s camp in Iraq. “The MEK is not seeking a social position inside the Iranian society, but rather it is only trying to ensure the interests of the US and Israel,” Khodabandeh said. “The group was initially established on the platform of fighting imperialism three decades ago, but today the group’s leaders do not follow this policy anymore and instead they have become the partners of the US and Israel in carrying out their destructive policies against Iran,” he added. Sanjabi said the MEK does not observe human rights at all even in recruiting its forces. “The group doesn’t care how old you are. We had a number of children from seven to ten years of age who’d been forced to join the group and indeed they were raised according to the group’s plans.” She said that the leaders of the group believe that families are “the nest of corruption” so they try hard to disrupt family bonds and force members to forget their family.

++ Minoo Sepehr has written an article about the active presence of the MEK in the violence in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, detailing both the news and the aims that have been set for Rajavi to perform in these places. She reminds us of many reports, including that of Seymour Hersh, that the MEK are being trained by Americans. It is not surprising, she concludes, that if they can’t use them in Iran they will use them elsewhere because they don’t want to pay for nothing.

++ Mohammad Razaghi has commented on the MEK TV programme and reminds us that the last few violent attacks in Paris and other places against vocal critics have all been directed from Auvers-sur-Oise, pointing out that this cannot happen in the MEK without a direct order from the top. Knowing the MEK they will follow orders from Auvers, but warns that this time because the MEK is collapsing they may not only knife people, they may go to kill them.

++ Sahar Family Foundation has translated into Farsi some articles from Iraqi papers. The news agency Al Iraq al Markazieh says there are reports of Massoud Rajavi now living in Israel under the protection of the Americans. The same report also goes into the sexual mistreatment of women in the MEK during the time of Saddam and the fact they were all divorced and married to Rajavi. The report says that many claims are being brought to the Iraqis that they have been raped by Rajavi and that Maryam Rajavi was aiding and abetting the sexual abuse.

++ Al Elam Al Iraqi has published an interview with an official of the Iraqi ministry for human rights, Kamel Amin, who is following the case of the MEK. He says there is no way the MEK can be considered for refugee status in Iraq as they are not eligible, but the number of people remaining in Camp Ashraf is exactly 80. The MEK have deliberately published various numbers on their websites from 80 to 230 just to confuse the situation, but it is exactly 80, not more. He also stressed that they will be expelled soon.

++ Bahar Irani has an article in Mojahedin.ws comparing the content of the MEK TV programme with what Maryam Rajavi has been claiming in her Paris show at Villepint. She says what they want for Iran – freedom of speech and religion etc – but in their programme the MEK threaten to kill people for talking. Irani reminds us that what this woman is doing and saying is when the MEK do not have power.

August 30, 2013