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Former members of the MEK

Nejat Society Letter to Ms. Fariba Hashtroudi

Dear Ms. Hashtroudi,

Happy New Year,

First of all, we would be pleased to send you congratulations on the publication of your book about your experiences and memories within MKO, and the clear expression of the reasons of your defection. We hope you to be successful in your continual good activities.

We wrote you the letter since you spent several years with MKO and are, to some extent, familiar with its nature and function and according to your knowledge you decided to defect from NCRI. We believe that such a knowledge puts you in a position where you should do your best to help the victims of the organization, in an absolutely humane action, without any political tendency.

As you are well aware, MKO has used psychological techniques that are practiced in all cults, to recruit members, it has captured a large number of people mentally and physically in Ashraf, Iraq. These people need emergency aid and their families seek the help of those like you.

The intellectuals including you who have realized MKO’s labyrinth personally, are able to do some actions to save the captives and return them to the free and open world. The captured members of Ashraf haven’t had any contact with the outside world for years and are manipulated by the self- criticizing meetings under the sever physical control. We would like to ask you to step up your efforts regarding your possibilities in Paris, in order to solvate the true victims of the ambitions of the power worshipers. The families of those dear ones appreciate you and wish you the best.

Sincerely Yours,

Nejat Association ,April 22nd, 2008

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UK

Nejat Society Letter to The British Prime Minister

 

Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown

The British Prime Minister

Dear Sir

Nejat Society comprises former members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) and the families of active MKO members in Camp Ashraf in Iraq. Nejat Society aims to rescue those people who are mentally and physically captive in Camp Ashraf.

As you may well be aware, over 3,000 individuals reside in Camp Ashraf. They are completely isolated inside the camp and have no contact with the outside world. In these conditions they are subjected to the continuous psychological manipulation and mind control techniques which are practiced in all similar cults.

According to the rules within the organization, like many other cults round the world, cult members must not associate with members of their family. The MKO clearly states within the organization that the family is the ‘nest of corruption’ and all members should consider their relatives as their prime enemies and therefore reject and abandon them.

While Iraq was ruled by the former Iraqi dictator, the families of these members could only wait for many years without hope of seeing their beloved ones. Once Saddam Hussein was toppled in Iraq, rays of hope lit their hearts and they thought that their years of pain and separation were over.

This illusion faded quickly once they learned that now, under the protection of the Allied Forces in Iraq, the MKO leaders are still, unchallenged, enjoying the benefits of the isolation of Camp Ashraf in order to keep possession of the members. This is despite the fact that this organization remains designated as a proscribed terrorist group by the USA as well as Britain and the EU.

What is happening in Camp Ashraf in Iraq is a clear example of a cultic human catastrophe. These people have been highly manipulated for many years and in this state of illusion and deception are willing to do anything, including committing mass suicide or self-immolation.

The families of members of the MKO in Camp Ashraf in Iraq, as well as former members, consider the present active members to be the primary victims of this terrorist destructive cult, and urge you to take every possible step to facilitate their free access to the outside world and prevent a human catastrophe from taking place.

Recently, the Iraqi government has issued several statements demanding that Camp Ashraf be dismantled and the leaders of the organization put on trial for their crimes against the Iranian and Iraqi people, as well as crimes against their own members. We expect the allied forces will respect the decisions of the Iraqi government and will therefore make efforts to free the inhabitants of Camp Ashraf.

A further issue concerns those who have left the organization, rejected terrorism and who do not wish to go to Iran. These people are seeking safety in a third country. These are around 200 individuals who were living in the US forces controlled camp called TIPF. Some months ago about half of them were asked to leave the camp for unspecified destinations. The other half is still living in TIPF while their fate is not clear.

We expect the British government, as well as some active politicians like Lord Corbett who is a strong advocate of the MKO, to help these people who have been waiting for a third country to accept them for many years. The British government can surely accept some of these individuals and pave the way for other countries to take the rest.

 

Yours sincerely,

Nejat Society – Tehran, Iran 

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Former members of the MEK

Letter of Mr. Keyvan Radbin to the SFF

Mr. Radbin is a former member of the MKO. He managed to leave the Ashraf camp just after the occupation of the country. He lives in Canada now. The letter was originally in English which is as follows: I am Keyvan Radbin. I was born on Sep. 22-1971 in Tehran. I got familiar withblank MKO by their TV and Radio programs. I became their full-time sympathizer from 1999 to 2001 in Tehran and my activities contained social and advertising for the organization. I leaved Iran to Iraq from Turkey for joining to MKO on July 18-2001. I stayed in Turkey for around one month and then after explanation process by the organization’s people in charge, I got moved to Iraq first to Basra port and then to Baghdad. After staying in Baghdad for half day I was moved to Ashraf camp.  I leaved the organization on 2003 after the war with difficulty. I was almost one of the first people who leaved the organization after the war. Actually, the first day that I faced the people in charge in Baghdad, I got that something was wrong with them. I could not understand them well and I got that I had fell into deep trouble because their behavior was completely different from what I had been watching in their media programs and what had been told to me up to that time. But I thought may be after passing sometime everything would be good and I would get matched with the new environment so I took it easy!! But on my entry to the reception area in Ashraf camp I got that everything was getting worse and worse within my thirteen days staying in reception area. I got that they were trying to impose something on me that they had never spoke about! First ideological revolution then divorce (noting that I was single) but they never explained about those subjects frankly and openly. Any time that I used to ask them they answered me that when I go forth I would understand the depth of the subjects more!!! Anyway, I don’t make it too long about the sufferings that had there. In just one sentence I must say that all were like a horrible night-mare that the person who has never been there can’t even imagine. I don’t want to remember them again. In reception area I saw that how they tortured one young person psychologically that his face had been changed to an old person within a couple of months. He suffered there just because he didn’t want to accept their imposed ideas and stay there! (Anyway, I have explained everything in details in my interviews). Then I got moved to reception area (called paziresh) again with fully disappointment of the things that I’d seen there in my previous process in reception area. After less than one month I saw myself in a jungle without any rule, a jungle that everything had a meaning other than human being. Then I remembered the old movies about slavery. In one month of the stress I had bad back pain that I still have it. Then I faced with daily operation (called amaliyate jari) or daily self criticism. It was like the ancient Roma rules that governors put the innocents through the lions to get ripped off by the wild animals. Then I faced with weekly cleaning off (called ghosle haftegi) and many other inhumanity things. I started to criticize the organization for their lies and bad behaviors. But each time I was confronted with rough suppressions that I had never seen even by the Iranian regime. Then I remembered one of my friend’s words that told me before joining the organization that they are the worst dictators! I got everything, yes he was right. I requested a few times to leave the organization but each time I faced with psychological and physical pressures which made me to stay there. Eventually they told me that there is no other world outside Ashraf camp and I had to spend the rest of my life there. They took me to their courts many times. I got beaten up a few times by Hassan Norali and Ali Osat the people in charge. I was threatened by Fahimeh Arvani, Fereshteh Shojayi, Ahmad Ebrahim, Abdi, Nader Rafiyi and others many times that if I stay against them they would send me to Abu Ghraib prison. I spent some times in the organization’s intelligence service jails in Ashraf camp a few times. They got few false confessions from me by keeping me under severe pressure. I was always under the vision and control of the people in charge there. I didn’t have any freedom even for going to bathroom and so on. A few times I tried to kill myself but some power didn’t let me do so. I tried to escape from there but it was impossible because I saw few people that tried to escape had been arrested by Saddam’s forces and had been tortured badly. Within the war we moved to Jalula in the north. Since I knew their lies they tried to kill me and they shouted at my head but I was lucky that I had a helmet on my head and God helped me the bullet after hitting to my helmet crooked and didn’t went deep. When we returned to the Iraqi army base (called feylagh in Arabic) they put me on trial by Ahamad Hanifnejad, Vahid Batebi and Saeed Jamali. They blamed me that I am a spy and I work for Iranian regime! Again they tried to put me in trouble but again God like always was with me and they couldn’t do anything. Anyway when we returned to Ashraf camp again I requested once more that I wanted to leave and eventually because of the presence of the US army this time they couldn’t imprison me. Then they put me in the exit area (called khoruji) and even there they also tried to put me in trouble. But when the US army officers came there other defectors and I explained everything to them. They moved us to first TIF and then to TIPF and I spent two years in TIPF and then I moved to Turkey and after two and half years staying in Turkey I came to Canada. In six months of staying in Canada so far I have been able to study and get my Diploma in International business management and I still study to get my second degree as an automotive service technician. So Rajavi tried to teach me how to do suicide bombing but he never succeeded in doing so. I showed him that he is very weak and stupid and his impression of a human being is false. When I was in Ashraf camp I made friendship with Soheyl Khattar (Sasha). He also had same problems as mine and he also had been tortured. He tried to escape but eventually he was killed by his person in charge (called mas’ul) when he was in the Iraqi base (feylaq). Actually the doctor who was called Hassan Aref told me that because he was witness there when Sasha`s dead body was brought to the clinic. I have tons of bitter experiences while I was in Ashraf camp that I have mentioned some of them in my interviews. I will explain them all again with details anywhere and anytime needed. Once getting into MKO you never could see any exit. It was just a one-way road without return. There I saw the frighten tunnel. I must add, all the human rights activists in all over the world must be aware that there is somewhere in Iraq which is called Ashraf camp that in this so called modern world there are innocents who live there like slaves and still are being tortured physically and physiologically that leaders of the cults do. They are the worst dictators that the world has ever seen, even worse than Stalin and Mao;”blue kite”movie is a simple example of imprisoned people in Ashraf camp. By the way, we shouldn’t forget that the defectors who have been displaced to the north of Iraq in Kirkuk have been tortured and their rights for living have been trampled by MKO for many years. Regarding the fact that their refugee status have been recognized by the UNHCR, but they are still displaced and they are still living in bad situation and also get threaten by the MKO. All the world and free countries should help these defectors to be moved to some safe place for living like millions of free people around the world and make their lives. It’s enough to have people abused by MKO.

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Former members of the MEK

former member of the MKO, appeals to the Iraqi legal authorities

Ms Batul Soltani, former member of the MKO, appeals to the Iraqi legal authorities against the organisation based in Camp Ashraf in Iraq:

Honourable Judicial Authority of the Republic of Iraq,  My name is Batul Soltani daughter of Morteza. I was born in 1965 in Iran and at the moment I live in Baghdad. I married with Mr Hosein Moradi in 1986 in Iran and then we moved to Pakistan together the same year. We were recruited by the MKO in that country and then we were ordered to go to Iraq a year later in 1987. In 1991 we were separated by the order of the organisation and had to give up our children who were sent to Europe later. At first my husband and I resisted against these demands, but being under enormous psychological pressure, we were forces to yield to their orders and eventually we were separated both from each other and then from our children.  My daughter Hajar Moradi was born in 1987 in Pakistan and my son Mi’ad Moradi was born in 1991 in Iraq. In the year 1991 while Hajar was 5 and Mi’ad was only 6 months old they were dispatched from me and sent to Europe. I was not allowed to have any contact with them. I still cannot forget the moment my daughter was badly crying when she was leaving me and I still recall the innocent face of my six months old son.  Later I learned that my daughter resided with a family in south of Sweden with the alias name of Setareh Khabbazan and she is now studying in a university in the north of that country. My son who is now known as Milad was taken from Iraq by an Iranian family to Holland and after a while was taken back by the organisation and given to another family. When this family faced some difficulties he was given to an orphan residential place. He is now living in a centre for keeping the youngsters in Holland. I have no contact with my children at all and I even don’t know if they have any idea about me. The MKO would not give me any trace of them.  While I was in Iraq the organisation did not let me have any contact with my family in Iran and hence my father who was very upset and frustrated as the result of not knowing anything about me died in sorrow. My mother in Iran is now very ill and is deeply suffering as the result of my absence for such a long time.  In 2006 I escaped from Camp Ashraf and sought refuge in the American camp called TIPF. In 14 January 2008 I left the TIPF and moved to Baghdad and I desire to go abroad now, but before doing that I wish to file my complaint against the MKO to the Iraqi legal authorities to be dealt with as soon as possible.  I wish to regain my family and also my lost identity. I want to appeal against the MKO for my father’s death, my mother’s illness, the separation of my husband as well as my two children, and the wasted 20 years of my life. The MKO and its leadership are responsible for all these miseries. I would like that the MKO be forced to yield to my just requests and give my children’s addresses and also let my husband to meet me in Baghdad. I wish to thank you for your sincere cooperation in advance. 

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Soheyl Khattar

Mr Teymur Khattar and Mrs Khattar Appeal to the Iraqi legal authorities

Mr Teymur Khattar and Mrs Khattar Appeal to the Iraqi legal authorities to deal with the case of the suspicious death of their son Soheyl Kattar in the base of the MKO in Iraq called Camp Ashraf

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 Mr Teymur Khattar (father of Soheyl)

Honourable Judicial Authority of the Republic of Iraq,

My name is Teymur Kattar. I was born in 1948 in the city of Hamadan in Iran and at the moment I live in the city of Karaj in the province of Tehran. My wife and I wish to appeal to the Iraqi security and judicial authorities to deal with the case of the suspicious death of our son Soheyl Kattar in the base of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (MKO) in Iraq called Camp Ashraf.

It is worth mentioning that Sohey Khattar left Iran legally with his Iranian passport along with my nephew Mehran Rastegar to go to Turkey to eventually go to Europe for employment. One week or ten days after their departure, my brother Manuchehr Kattar who lives in Holland contacted them and offered them a chance to go to some place to learn the language first and then move to Holland to join their uncle. But contrary to his promises they ended up in Camp Ashraf the base of the MKO in Iraq, a place which is quite hard to leave.

I was unaware of their situation for about four months until they called and told me that they are well and are busy training. We were relieved to learn that. They did not mention anything about going to Iraq and Camp Ashraf. Then they sent some letters and photographs which were posted from Europe. As I learned later my son had quarrels with the MKO officials and had asked them that he was supposed to go to Europe but now he remains in Iraq. He had even told them that he would escape from Camp Ashraf any time he finds the chance. I learned about all these through those who parted from the MKO and came back to Iran. He was even once put in solitary confinement for 48 hours just for opposing the MKO.

We had no further news from them until my brother Manuchehr called me from Holland and informed me that Soheyl was killed in a border clash four months earlier. I was quite suspicious about the reason of his death.

My wife and I along with one of our relatives went to Iraq and Camp Ashraf on the beginning of 2004. They told us a different story. While they had published my son’s picture in their publication and claimed that he was killed during the bombings of Iraq, they told us that he was killed when cleaning his gun by an undesired shot under his chin.

We had gone to Iraq and Champ Ashraf to claim for the body and belongings of our son which they never let us have them and eventually we left there with frustrations. They did not even show us a picture of his body or a picture of his funeral. Someone there who I prefer not to reveal his name for security reasons (if I am assured that the person would be taken out of the MKO control I would give the name to the relevant authorities) informed me covertly that our son Soheyl was killed by the MKO since he was discontented and restless and he wanted to part from the them. This person told me that the story of undesired shot is false. Apparently our son Soheyl was eliminated because he was opposing the organisation.

My nephew Mehran Rastegar, who had left Iran along with my son and escaped later from Camp Ashraf and returned to Iran, told me the whole story from the beginning and said that they were taken to Dubai for a few days first and then to Iraq. When he returned to Iran he was suffering from psychological disorders and was completely depressed. He told us that he was continuously under mental and physical pressure in Camp Ashraf. He died two years later at the age of 25 due to heart stroke caused by all he had gone through in the MKO. Soheyl was 20 when he left Iran and was killed when he was 22.

While in Iraq, once a well build commander called Asad approached us and told us that apparently Soheyl had committed suicide. Then he said that Soheyl enjoyed high moral and was very cheerful. I asked him how a cheerful person with a high moral commits suicide. Later I found out that a girl called Alan Mohammadi was also killed exactly the same way. She was shot under her chin and they claimed that it was an undesired shot or perhaps committing suicide.

Hessam Shakeri and Bizhan Rezavandi from Karaj are amongst those who had escaped from Camp Ashraf and returned to Iran and they know about our son Soheyl Kattar. They say that Soheyl was killed by the MKO.

Now which story is true? Was he killed in a border clash by the Iranian guards as my brother told me? Was he killed under the US and its allies’ bombings as published in Mojahed weekly publication? Was he killed because of an undesired shot as we were told by the officials in Camp Ashraf? Or did he commit suicide as a commander mentioned? I would say none of these stories are right and they fabricate these lies to cover the truth which is my son was killed in Iraq by the MKO.

At this moment the wish of my wife and I is to know the real cause to our son’s death and we urge the judicial authorities in Iraq to investigate the reason. Our son Soheyl Khattar was killed in Iraq and it is up to the Iraqi security and judiciary officials to take up with the detection of the cause.

I must also add I was a firm supporter of the MKO in the past and I even went to Turkey and made contacts with this organisation and introduced them a few individuals. But now I hate them so much that I do not wish my son’s body or any of his belongings remain with them.

Therefore I summarise my demands as follows once again and I appeal all legal authorities in Iraq to help me.

1. I appeal that the case of murdering my son Soheyl Khattar be investigated by the relevant judicial authorities in Iraq and the persons responsible be prosecuted.

 

2. I wish to visit one individual in Camp Ashraf that I personally encouraged him to join the MKO without the presence of the MKO officials in Baghdad or somewhere ells.

3. I would like to go to the grave of my son in Camp Ashraf and also seek his body and belongings with the aid of Iraqi officials.

Sahar (Dawn) Family Foundation, Baghdad, February 29, 2008-http://www.saharngo.com/en-articles.html

Link to the original letter (Arabic)

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Missions of Nejat Society

Nejat Society Letter to The Iraqi President of Higher Judicial Council

Honorable Modhat Al-Mahmood Chief Justice of Federal Supreme Court President of Higher Judicial Council Baghdad, Iraq Your Excellency! We the signatories of the present text would wish to draw your good attention to the subject described below and request you to add this document to the case dealing with the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organisation (MKO) in Iraqi judiciary system. We do appreciate and thank you for your sincere cooperation beforehand.  Initially we must introduce ourselves as former members of the MKO who have been active in this organisation in Iraq for some periods. This organisation was officially and practically involved in terrorist and suppressing activities from Iraq as well as inside Iraq in different forms from June 1986 (when Massoud Rajavi and other MKO leaders moved from Paris to Baghdad) to April 2003 (when Saddam Hussein was toppled after the invasion of Iraq); although the relationship between this organisation and the former dictator of Iraq and their covert relations goes back to many years before that. We believe, as we would explain below, that the alliance between the leadership of the MKO and Saddam Hussein and their cooperation in many crimes they committed during many years should have been included in the trial of Iraqi former dictator and dealt with by the relevant judges.  As you may know the leaders of the MKO moved to France when they started their armed struggle against the Islamic Republic of Iran on June 1981, and they started controlling and leading their activities inside Iran from that country. Once the French government imposed some limitations on their activities including leading terrorism in Iran from Paris, they moved their headquarters to Iraq. The grounds for this move had been prepared previously and the MKO armed forces were already present in Iraq and they were involved in military activities against Iran. The presence of Massoud Rajavi in Iraq did lead to a close relationship between the MKO and the Iraqi former government and in particular with the ministry of defence and the security services of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Then the Iraqi officers started training the MKO personnel who were recruited from inside and outside Iran and then fully armed them. One year later, which is in June 1988, the formation of National Liberation Army (NLA) was officially announced in Iraq. This army stood alongside the Saddam Hussein’s armed forces to fight against the Iranian army openly and actively. After the 598 Resolution of the UN Security Council was accepted by Iran on July 1988, this army made its last vast military assault against Iranian soil with the backing and cooperation of Iraqi armed forces which lead to thousands of losses on both sides.  When Saddam Hussein’s army occupied Kuwait in August 1990 and consequently the US and its allies made a war against Iraq, there occurred the uprisings of the Kurds in the north and the Shiites in the south who were always under repression. In this incident the NLA officially entered this conflict as part of Iraqi army and suppressed the Iraqi people’s movement.  But this organisation beyond all atrocities that has committed against the civilians in Kurdistan and in the south inside Iraq in cooperation with the Saddam Hussein’s regime, has even suppressed its own members with the aid of the former Iraqi security services and tortured them in Iraqi prisons.  Besides, the NLA which Massoud Rajavi was its commander in chief and Mehdi Abrishamchi and Abbas Davari have been its contacts with the notorious security services of Saddam Hussein has launched terrorist attacks against Iranian cities from Iraq and with the arms and facilities of Saddam Hussein with his direct orders.  Regarding the three points mentioned above, i.e. suppressing the people of Iraq, repressing the discontented members, and getting involved in terrorist activities inside Iranian cities, it is worth mentioning that some of the signatories of this letter have directly or indirectly been aware of this close cooperation of Saddam Hussein’s military and security forces with the MKO and they are ready to be a witness in any court. They believe that in an Iraqi court today the case of Massoud Rajavi and other leading members of the MKO and the NLA, as the close aides of Saddam Hussein, must be dealt with like all criminals of the former Iraqi Ba’th party and they must be prosecuted and judged in an Iraqi court.  You surely agree that putting a person like Saddam Hussein on trial in Iraq had a great impact both socially and historically and the international and domestic public opinion were carefully following its process. Primarily in such trials it is more important to reveal the truth to the people than to require mere justice for both the defenders and the complainers. The fact that the regime of Saddam Hussein offered the last safe heaven to the MKO which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the international community and as a body which does not even have mercy for its own members cannot be ignored by the present Iraqi judiciary system. Every crime committed by the MKO leaders have been done with the direct cooperation of the Iraqi former dictator and also MKO was directly involved in atrocities done by Saddam Hussein. This fact should be revealed for the people of Iraq as well as the people of Iran. Therefore MKO and Massoud Rajavi must face trial the same way that Saddam Hussein did, since the two were close allies for many years.  Surely one crime committed by Saddam Hussein which has international aspects is that he helped a known terrorist organisation to carry out terrorist operation against its own people as well as the people of Iraq and even its own members. We believe that the MKO members are all prime victims of a terrorist cult who must be helped and freed and brought to normal life. Those who are in Ashraf Camp have gone through fierce brainwashing processes and therefore must be de-briefing.  Best regards 

List of the Signatories

Copy to:  – UN Commission for Human Rights – International Committee of the Red Cross – Amnesty International – Human Rights Watch – Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affaires – US Embassy in Iraq – Press and Media List of the Signatories

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Former members of the MEK

The statement issued by MKO defectors on Mohammadi Family

We, named below, believing in the freedom of speech and tolerance, withdrawing the present actions and believes of people and politicians, without any political interest, focusing on humanity and our previous cooperation with MKO and regarding our personal experiences with MKO, declare that:  A: gradually after the residence in Iraq, criticizing the leaders (Masud and Maryam Rajavi) and their policies became impossible.

Following the long residence in Iraq, insisting on one’s interests, opinions and critics were considered as anti-revolutionary action and were oppressed seriously.   B: they organizationally encounter the private talks where the Mujahed friends were giving opinions within the organization. Every member had to submit a written report to his responsible, on the details of his talks. In the organization control and scrutinize of opinion were considered as normal and revolutionary. C: MKO’s leader consider the emotional contacts of family members as an obstacle to the policies of the organization and to the fall of Islamic regime and tries to weaken such contacts in any way. D: there is no possibility to access and transfer news, newpaper, T.V … freely, inside the MKO in Iraq.

Any news was canalyzed by the organization and it wasn’t possible to access the free world. According to the mentioned experiences, the position taken by Somayeh Mohammadi who has declared that she has “chosen living in Camp Ashraf on her own will’’ clearly opposes our personal experiences.  While we respect everyone’s right including Somayeh’s right to choose her place of residence freely according to UN human rights charter, we ask MKO’s leadership to publish any document that they have, on Mostafa and Mahboubeh Mohamamdi’s link to Islamic Republic , so as to inform Iranian people.

Otherwise they should allow Somayeh who according to her father, mother and brother was taken to Ashraf when she was under legal age and now is under the psychological pressure and the news absolutism, to be transferred out of Ashraf to decide independently.  UN human Rights Charter, article 12 : No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks. We demand MKO’s leadership and Islamic Republic regime that  A: they respect international laws on women, children and civilians and execute them  B: they respect UN Human Rights Charter. UN Human Rights Charter

Article 3.

Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4.

No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5.

No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 9.

No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 13.

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state

Article 16.

(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

Article 19.

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20.

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association

February 1st, 2008 1. Saeed Soltanpour, journalist, human rights activist, Canada

2. Mohammad Mohammadi,Canada

3. Mohammad Houshmand, Socialist ,former member of NLA,USA

4. Soheila Behboudi-Germany

5. Mahboube Baraati- Netherlands

6. Batoul Maleki – Switzerland

7. Nasrin Behboudi – Netherlands

8. Kazem Husseini – Netherlands

9. Mohammad Hussein Sobhani – Germany

10. Jaafar Baqalinezhad.Norway

11. Siamak Gilani – Norway

12. Soheila Nowrouzi – Canada

13. Elham Nowrouzi – Canada

14. FArideh Baraati – Netherlands

15. Mother Rezwan – Sweden

16. Behzad Alishahi

17. Habib Khorami – Netherlands

18. Edward Termado – defector , former prisoner of Abu Qoraib

19. Ali Qashqavi – defector ,former prisoner of Abu Qoraib

20. Seid Amir Movasaqi- defector , former prisoner of Abu Qoraib

21. Masud Khodabandeh, Britain

22. Ann Singleton, Britain

23. Azra Asadi , Netherlands

24. Reza Asadi , Netherlands

25. Majid Farahanian, Netherlands

26. Roya Rondsaz , Netherlands

27. Karim Haqi, Netherlands

28. Naser Razavi , Sweden

29. Mitra Yousefi ,Sweden

30. AliReza Nabavi, wounded in MKO operation ,Sweden

31. Masud Jabani ,writer and human rights activist

32. Ali Shams, writer and human rights activist

33. Javad Firouzmand, human rights activist, France.

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Mujahedin Khalq Organization members' families

Open Letter to Bryan Wilfert MP from Mohammad Mohammady in Canada

 Mr. Bryan Wilfert, Richmond Hill Member of Parliament

225 Eat Beaver Creek

Richmond Hill, ON

Dear Mr. Wilfert,

In our meeting on Friday January 25, 2008, you asked me some questions regarding the situation of my sister, Somayeh Mohammady, as well as my parents who are also currently in Iraq, and the correspondent of the Canadian government. I have some doubts that I was able to answer your questions in a satisfactory manner since talking about this situation makes me too emotional and uncomfortable to properly formulate my thoughts and responses. I also wish to remind you that I am personally a victim of this brutal situation and suffered in the same condition that my sister experiences, for four years.

Since 1998, knowing the nature and means of this organization, my parents started an internal campaign to free and return my sister back to Canada. As you might be aware, up to 2003 and before toppling of Saddam Hussein, it was impossible to talk about or disagree with the MKO publicly. If they have this much power to force a young girl to denounce her family and call her parents agents of the Iranian regime just because they tried to take her out of a war zone and from the camp of an organization that has been branded terrorist by many Western governments, you can clearly understand how dangerous and impossible it could have been back than when the leadership of the MKO had the full support of Saddam and anything could have happened to my sister with no consequences to those responsible. Even after my 2004 release, and up to recently, I had serious concerns for my safety to talk about my own situation and just recently decided to come out and support my family regardless of the consequences to myself.

If, even now that this group is supposedly under the custody of American and International forces in Iraq, they can be such potential danger that the Canadian authorities call me to inform me about the threats to my parents lives in Iraq and ask me to force them to return to safety in Canada, you can imagine what it could have been like back in those years. For that reason in those years all my parents could do, that even than it was considered bold and risky by those aware of the MKO’s violent means, was to try to find influential people inside the organization or write to the Rajavi’s to beg for my sister’s freedom and safe return. You might find translated copies of those letters in the possession of our lawyer Ms. Pamila Bhardwaj as part of our legal file. Even the fact that my father agreed to send me to Iraq in 1999 was a hopeless attempt to find a way to bring her back without going public against such a malicious organization.

The rest is documented and I hope you have some knowledge of it. I was captured too and could not get out until 2004 after the regime change in Iraq that also reduced the power of the MKO leaders. Though at the beginning, and by the advice of those close to us, I pretended to be happy and willing as a cover up to set the ground for my sister’s release, as soon as they learned about my real intention, I was kept in solitary confinement and tortured in many brutal and inhumane ways. However, since I was a Canadian citizen at that time, my father was able to take me out in 2004 but, although my sister expressed her desire back then to go with us, since she did not have Canadian status after 7 years of absence from Canada, she was asked by the authorities at the time to remain there till they resolve this issue which they never did up to this point.

What is being used against my father by the MKO, and unfortunately being echoed by some Canadian authorities, is the fact that since that time my father made numerous trips to Iraq, ignoring the dangers on the ground. This should tell you how important the situation is to my family. We tried everything from desperately begging the Rajavi’s and the other leaders of the organization, setting up informative campaigns, following a lengthy legal process and physically going there and putting our lives in danger. What else do we need to try in order to make the Canadian government understand that we are extremely suffering and need to reunite with our sister and daughter? It is not only because we are worried for her and miss her, not because none of us can enjoy our lives knowing that one of us is trapped in such a horrible situation, not because we feel disempowered and humiliated for the constant rejection of our plea, not because knowing the conviction of my father that he will not stop until he brings her back and fulfills his duties as a father even if we lose everything, but simply because we are Canadians and the day we took the oath we were promised the same rights and protection as the rest of the citizens of this great country. Many people come to Canada every year from backward, violent and undemocratic corners of the world trying to make a new start and learn and follow those rules that make this country so great and outstanding. We are learning too but at the same time we need to feel belonging and that we are equally a part of it.

At the end, in my humble opinion, it does not reflect positively on our government to use or repeat the same allegations, against my family, as those used by the MKO mouthpieces. Every day in the past 5 years people left the camp, committed suicide or denounced this organization. The same label was used for all of them that they have been bought by a third party and have a shady agenda. We are opposing this mentality and ask you to use an open and fresh mind to help us.

With many regards,

Mohammad Mohammady

January 26, 2008

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Former members of the MEK

A letter from Dr. Torabi on behalf of 8 UNHCR refugees

Dear Mr. Speaker,

 I’m writing to you on behalf of the following 8 UNHCR recognized refugees who have been forced by Turkish Security and Political Police under gun fire to leave Turkey and cross the border back into Iraq :

 

Abdollahi, Ali

Adel, Hassan

Azari, Nasrollah

Eslamizadeh, Karam

Ghorbanzadeh, Ramezan

Mohebbi, Hamid

Nemati, Hassan

Zolfaghaari, Kamran

 

These 8 people aged 30-50 are from a larger group of 200 Iranian nationals and former members of Mojaheddin Khalkh Organization (MKO), an opposition group fighting against the Islamic Republic of Iran. Following Saddam’s downfall, these people seized the opportunity to leave MKO and take refuge in an American-run camp called Temporary International Presence Facility (TIPF) to await their destiny (i.e., being sent to European countries as refugees). They are all UN recognized refugees, each carrying three identification documents: an Iraqi Government’s issued “Lesser Passer” card, a UNHCR Refugee ID, and a Coalition Forces’ issued ID.

About 4 weeks ago, American Forces in TIPF began freeing these people from the camp in groups of 4 to 8 people and providing secure passage to various cities in Kordestan , Iraq , e.g., Moussell, Erbil . Avoiding arrest by Kurdish police and extradition to Iran , many of them began heading north to Turkey . Upon entering Turkey at the Iraq-Turkey border line, they were all arrested by the Turkish Security Police (in charge of foreigners) and moved to various prisons inside Turkey .

These 8 people, after two weeks in prison, were told to get ready to be moved to the city of Shirnak ( Center of Silopi Region ) for processing their request (to be formally recognized as UN refugees and allowed to contact UNHCR representatives in Turkey for resettlement in a safe 3rd country.) Instead, they were taken to the Turkey-Iraqi border post at Haboor on the Turkey side (called Ebrahim Araghi on the Iraq side) in order to send them back to Iraq. Iraqi officials at the border-crossing refused to allow them entry to Iraq . Turkish Security Police then decided to force these people back into Iraq by taking them to a nearby unmanned border point with a river marking the border line between the two countries. There, the Turkish soldiers stripped these 8 people of their money and valuable personal belongings and under the command of Turkish Security Police forced them (by firing warning shots) to cross the river into Iraq. These 8 people, are now in a border city called Zakhoo in Iraq and in eminent danger of being arrested by the Iraqi police and extradited to Iran .

By writing this letter, I would like to report to you this unprecedented level of violation of human rights as well as the negligence of basic rights of UNHCR recognized refugees by your border and security police and to appeal to you for your help to intervene on behalf of these 8 and close to 200 other former MKO members who are kept in Prisons in Turkey. Please act from the position of authority and responsibility and use whatever means available to you to ensure that the Turkish Government respect the minimum rights of these people as UNHCR refugees and allow them to contact UNHCR representatives in Turkey for a safe passage to and resettlement in a country within European Union.

Yours Truly

M. Torabi

 

Mohammad Torabi, Ph.D

CTO Architecture & Solutions Engineering

Alcatel-Lucent

Monarch Beach, California

USA 92629

 

Aria Iran, January 24, 2008-http://www.ariairan.com/?mod=view&id=3020

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Paulo Casaca

Re: Letter from Mr. Paulo Casaca, MEP, to the Canadian Government

 Honorable Mr. Stockwell Day, I am writing to you in order to express our deep concerns about a letter, addressed to the Minister of Immigration and Citizenship, in which Mr. Casaca made serious allegations against our organization and its directors. The letter has been translated and published in one of the Mojahedin e Khalgh organization’s satellite sites at the following address: http://www.iran-efshagari.com/details_d.aspx?id_news=3476 .

As a Canadian citizen, I find Mr. Casaca’s intervention with Canada’s internal affairs presumptuous. His expression of opinion on a subject that he has no prior knowledge of is quite irresponsible. Though I am quite confident that our Centre and its directors are well recognized not only by the community we are directly serving, Iranian-Canadians, but also by the community at large as well as the relevant government offices I wish to give a brief history of our organization and its establishment.

In May 2003 and during the pre-election debates on the board of directors of a university based discussion group since part of its members strongly believed in the importance of Human Rights advocacy as part of the group’s agenda we made a decision to split the group in two sections and our organization inherited the original name and the mandate of such advocacy and the other section continued its bi-weekly discussion sessions that were held at OISE for almost three years. Our first major project, right after our registration as an organization, was the unfortunate case of Ms. Zahra Kazemi in which we worked with likes of Mr. Maurice Capithorne, Honorable David Miller, Mr. John Cartwright and many others. In our second major project, on the occasion of tragic earthquake in Bam-Iran, once again we worked with Mr. Buzz Hargrove, Mr. Jack Layton, Ms. Shelley Carroll and many other credible individuals to collect $130,000 and donate it to the Red Cross for the cause. Ever since our centre has been fully active and involved in regards to the well being of the Iranian community in Canada as well as demonstrating a transparent desire to achieve freedom and democracy by the means of peaceful and civilized activities in Iran. Needless to mention that our records, personally and professionally, is always available for audit by authorities.

In the past four years our directors were invited to serve in different organizations and sit at different boards all as result of their dedication to the cause of democracy and human rights. During this time, as one example, I have been one of the first members of the Stop the War Coalition, founder and board member of Iranian Queer Organization (IRQO), member of the Bam Relief Committee, former president of Muslim Canadian Congress and current director of Canadian Muslim Union, member of National Ethnic Press and many other positions for which have never been compensated by funds, grants, donations or any other form of payments.

In late fall 2005 Mr. Mohammadi approached our Centre and explained his situation. We, in return, gave him a realistic picture of how limited our involvement would be since his daughter is of a legal age and without Canadian status. At that time Mr. Mohammadi was working with a respectable non-Iranian lawyer, Ms. Pamila Bhardwaj, who accepted the case pro bono and because of the family’s language barrier I agreed to act as their translator and also write their letters. The lawyer is still helping the devastated family by representing them at the Ministry of Immigration and Citizenship as well as other government departments. As I was just learning about the internal history of MKO through the contacts, witnesses and the first hand experience of the family’s young son who just came back from Iraq, Camp Ashraf, I was approached by some former members of MKO being kept in TIPF, Iraq, and they informed me about the suspicious suicide of a young man by the name of Yaser Akbari Nasab. Though by the time we were informed about this sad event almost two weeks were passed of the date of his death there was no news about it on any site or other media. In an interview with Radio Farda I publicly talked about this and correctly asked for International monitoring of the situation in this camp. This is when the MKO started attacking me, our organization and other directors. Despite all the threatening and discouraging messages and by ignoring the many warnings by concern members of our community we did not change our minds and never stopped doing what we deemed appropriate, legal and democratic. Up to this day our Centre has been involved directly with the case of former members who have been trapped for years in Iraq and we did all to bring their cases to the attention of UNHCR, HRW, AI and similar international organizations. Contrary to the claim of Mojahedin, and its echo by Mr. Casaca, these people ignored the many offers of some shady HR organizations which may or may not have ties with the IRI and are consciously paying a heavy price for that decision.

The volume of the threats, allegations and accusations that we received so far, particularly me and Mr. Saeed Soltanpour, has been beyond tolerable. The most recent wave of attacks started when Mr. Mohammadi and his wife, with serious concern for the future of their daughter after the negotiations between Iran and USA regarding the future of residents of Camp Ashraf, traveled to Baghdad and after an unsuccessful visit with Somayeh on their way back to the city were physically attacked by MKO members, started a desperate campaign in Iraq. On the morning of December 10 Ms. Sonya Hooykaas, the Canadian Council from Jordan called me and by confirming the very story asked me to convince him to return to Canada since she had concerns for their safety. She also asked me if it is OK that she adds my name to her report to Ottawa to which I agreed. However, our belief is that we should not allow pressure and violent threats to paralyze us and concern for personal safety should not prevent us from helping those in urgent need. Unfortunately the current leadership of MKO transferred a credible and popular opposition group into a violent and isolated organization that exists and operates at the will of any willing player but Iranians. I trust that their isolation from the Iranian communities in the Western world as well as inside Iran has been noticed and documented by those interested.

For all these reasons we continue our work by relying on our credentials within our community and all the protection that is available to any Canadian citizens. By now, we are not only used to the exhausted methods of MKO in affiliating every single criticism with ties to the Ministry of Information in Iran but also amused by it. However, it was quite a shock to hear that a member of the European Parliament who has no knowledge of us either individually or as an organization repeats the same baseless rhetoric. It is quite naive of a politician to claim that a government, even as repressing and violent as IRI, plans such extensive operation just to rescue a young novice from a military camp in a war zone. After all, even MKO could not accuse us of any other wrong doing but our assistance to this family. Yet, Mr., Casaca ignored the fact that in no communication the father asked his daughter to sever her relations to the organization or go back to Iran. Actually the recent rush by these desperate parents was due to their fear of their child being returned to Iran as result of negotiations. After all many of MKO members including its leadership reside and operate in Western countries and mostly in Europe.

Ordinary people chose their representatives hoping that they are knowledgeable and just above all. Irresponsible judgments and unwise opinions are not the most desirable qualities for those who are vested with such power. As citizens who believe in the Canadian charter of rights we wish to bring your attention to the serious damage caused by Mr. Casaca’s passing of opinion and would like him to withdraw his allegations immediately. Also since the MKO has gone to an unusual extant in order to defame and terrorize us we would like the Canadian authorities to acknowledge the gravity of the situation and have some proper measures in place.

 

Sincerely,

 

Niaz Salimi

Director

Cc:

Honorable Diane Finley “ Minister of Citizenship and Immigration

Honorable Maxime Bernier “ Minister of foreign affairs

Ms. Chrystiane Roy “ Iran Desk

Mr. Fernando Da Silva Marques “ Portuguese Embassy

Mr. Paulo Casaca – MEPEU

Canadian

  

Centre for Thought, Dialogue and Human Rights in Iran “ Toronto (CTDHR), January 6, 2008

http://cdhriran.blogspot.com/2008/01/re-letter-from-mr-paulo-casaca-member.html#links

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