Camp Ashraf Affairs

Conclusive declaration of the Peres et Evener

Conclusive declaration of the Peres et Evener(Ancient Iran, Glorious Future) on the occasion of Iraq government Confirmation in shutting down of the ASHRAF Garrison and supporting such an action

Conclusive declaration of the Peres et Evener(Ancient Iran, Glorious Future) on the occasion of Iraq government Confirmation in shutting down of the ASHRAF Garrison

Paris/France – 2008/12/25 – We, the separated members and the victims of this in humane cult who have lost our pride of life under the captivity and detention of the cult operatives and conductors. So that, we had been under the worst psychological and physical tortures. Therefore, we urge the international organizations including U. N. and all Human Rights Organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Red Cross as well as ruling leaders of the democratic and progressive states to save the life of the remaining victims who include three thousand five hundred individuals. We call for under-mentioned human activities for the maintenance of the life of these victims:

1- We call for the permission of entry into the ASHRAF Garrison where has been as a place to torture the dissidents and others psychologically and physically for many years. The military camp that consists of numerous custodies with the intention of hush-up of the any opposition and dissidence towards the ideology of the cult leader called MASSOUD RAJAVI. As a result, the victim’s families can be able to enter this camp to meet their beloved ones freely.

2- We urge Iraqi govt. to establish the conditions to every resident of the ASHRAF Garrison to have the right to choose any kind of dressing, so that, nobody has to wear military uniform contrary to his or her will and tendency, so, everyone can enjoy the right to dressing.

3- we call for the conditions that every resident of this Military Garrison can be allowed to leave or enter this military camp according to his or her own willing so that, they can enjoy the right to trip to other cities of Iraq.

4- We ask Iraqi govt. to provide the facilities of communications such as T. V., Radio, Internet and Satellite for the ASHRAF Garrison residents to communicate the other parts of the world. The bitter reality is that they have been deprived of such facilities for many years.

5-We call on the Iraqi govt. for the inauguration and opening of a new camp as the old closed camp entitled TIPF so that, the residents can be able to leave this damned ASHRAF Garrison and take shelter in the new camp. Subsequently, they can access the international Human Rights Organizations for further actions including interview and meeting therefore they can determine their destiny and future life in an open air.

6-We call for a delegation of the Human Rights Organizations to refer this camp to contact the residents without the presence of the MOJAHEDIN officials as a result, further truths can be revealed for the world regarding the perpetrated cruelty and persecution by this cult.

7-we call for a medical delegation with supervision of Without Border Doctors to attend this Garrison to visit the whole residents so that, they can obtain real information regarding every ones’ psychological and physical conditions. Then, this delegation is being expected to donate human medical assistances for the in humane cult prisoners and captives.

8- We call for the isolation and separation of these cult commanders who are 200 persons and have been involved in several crimes including "brain washing" and controlling of the victims. Therefore, these operatives must be displaced and there must not be any ideological and organized monitoring so that the victims can enjoy the right to have the free choice of their fate and the path of the life and future.

We reiterate and believe that, locking up the gate of ASHRAF and abolition of this Garrison, is a significant step in rescuing the life of the thousands victims from ominous clutch of RAJAVI (cult’s leader) and his cult operatives. Undoubtedly, RAJAVI is concern of such a condition and endeavoring therefore he and his cult operatives continue to keep the victims forcibly in the ASHRAF GARRISON by all means.

With the best wishing for the freedom of the whole captives and victims in the detention of RAJAVI’s cult and joining these victims to the free world.

Peres ET EVENER (ANCIENT IRAN, GLORIOUS Future)

January 3, 2009 0 comments

The MEK Expulsion from Iraq

MEK Terror Group to Leave Iraq

Al-Maliki also announced that there is "no place in Iraq for the terrorist" Mujahidin-e Khalq (MEK) organization. The Iraqi government has taken control Iraq Regains National Sovereignty; Takes Control of Green Zone, Basra Airport;MEK Terror Group to Leave of Camp Ashraf, northeast of Baghdad, the terrorist training camp leased by Saddam Hussein to 3500 members of the Iranian MEK cult. The MEK carried out terrorist attacks inside Iran on behalf of Iraq, as well as spying on, and making false allegations about, Iran’s civilian nuclear energy program. MEK have probably been triple agents, sharing information with and pushing disinformation on Saddam, Israel and the US through various channels. They also served Saddam as an SS, repressing Iraqi dissidents. When the US took Iraq in 2003, the Neoconservatives at the Pentagon wanted to adopt the terrorist group for covert operations against Iran and against the Shiite fundamentalist parties in Iraq that had been hosted in exile by Tehran. The Pentagon/ Neoconservative interest in the MEK appears to have been connected to its secret ties to Israel, and prominent members of the American Israel lobby such as Daniel Pipes and Patrick Clawson went to bat for this motley crew of bombers and saboteurs (ironically, they have been prolific in accusing ordinary Americans of being ‘terrorist supporters’ if they declined to ask ‘how high’ whenever Bibi Netanyahu commanded us to jump). The State Department, in contrast, pushed for listing the MEK as a terrorist organization. In the end, as usual in the Bush administration, Washington gave us the worst compromise possible, declaring MEK a terrorist organization and going on using it for espionage and sabotage in Iran as well as against Iraqi Shiites. In 2005 the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and the Da`wa Party came to power in elections in Baghdad, the very parties against which MEK had been conspiring, and they have repeatedly tried to get rid of the Mojahedin, but were stopped by the Pentagon. The ‘Islamic Marxist’ guerrillas are likely now to be expelled. Al-Maliki said that they would not be forced to return to Iran, and could go to other destinations of their choice, but could not remain in Iraq.

http://www.juancole.com/2009/01/iraq-regains-national-sovereignty-takes.html

The full article:

Iraq Regains National Sovereignty;

Takes Control of Green Zone, Basra Airport;

MEK Terror Group to Leave

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced Thursday that Iraq had "regained its national sovereignty". It could in fact be argued that for the first time since the end of the Gulf War, Iraq is again for most purposes an independent country in international law. It was put under Chapter 7 of the United Nations charter in the early 90s, having been found an aggressor against Kuwait. In some ways, its Chapter 7 status was taken advantage of by the Bush administration in its invasion of Iraq. There are still some things Iraq wants from the UN, and the Russian ambassador there has suggested that some Article 7 provisions will last for a while yet. But the main thing standing between Iraq and sovereignty now is anyway not international law but the large foreign troop presence on Iraqi soil. Still, that presence is underpinned by a bilateral treaty concluded by a sovereign Iraqi parliament with the United States. Cont’d . . .

US troops now need warrants for arrests, though they can detain suspects for 24 hours while they seek to justify it to a judge. Thousands of Iraqis imprisoned by the US will have to be released unless valid legal cases can be built against them.

In a move of the utmost symbolism, Iraqi troops are now taking control of the Green Zone, the few acres in downtown Baghdad, surrounded by blast walls, where US military and diplomatic personnel have worked, and where parliament and many Iraqi government offices are located. US military control of this area has often provoked tensions. Once Marines manhandled a member of parliament from the Sadr Movement who was coming in for a vote, provoking widespread criticism. The nerve center of the US in Iraq and of its Iraqi political allies had to be put behind blast walls because otherwise it would have been constantly bombed and sniped at. The area took a great deal of mortar fire as it was, endangering US State Department personnel who were sleeping in flimsy shelters. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has announced his determination to take down the blast walls. Minister of Defense Abdul Qadir al-`Ubaidi pledged to reopen the road between the Green Zone and the Republic Bridge within days, according to al-Hayat.

Bombings and other violence killed 8 in the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk or their environs on Thursday.

Basra authorities arrested a leader of the "Army of Heaven" millenarian cult that launched attacks last year this time. It is the beginning of the Islamic new year, and apparently the cult is seeking ways of taking power.

Al-Maliki also announced that there is "no place in Iraq for the terrorist" Mujahidin-e Khalq (MEK) organization. The Iraqi government has taken control of Camp Ashraf, northeast of Baghdad, the terrorist training camp leased by Saddam Hussein to 3500 members of the Iranian MEK cult. The MEK carried out terrorist attacks inside Iran on behalf of Iraq, as well as spying on, and making false allegations about, Iran’s civilian nuclear energy program. MEK have probably been triple agents, sharing information with and pushing disinformation on Saddam, Israel and the US through various channels. They also served Saddam as an SS, repressing Iraqi dissidents. When the US took Iraq in 2003, the Neoconservatives at the Pentagon wanted to adopt the terrorist group for covert operations against Iran and against the Shiite fundamentalist parties in Iraq that had been hosted in exile by Tehran. The Pentagon/ Neoconservative interest in the MEK appears to have been connected to its secret ties to Israel, and prominent members of the American Israel lobby such as Daniel Pipes and Patrick Clawson went to bat for this motley crew of bombers and saboteurs (ironically, they have been prolific in accusing ordinary Americans of being ‘terrorist supporters’ if they declined to ask ‘how high’ whenever Bibi Netanyahu commanded us to jump). The State Department, in contrast, pushed for listing the MEK as a terrorist organization. In the end, as usual in the Bush administration, Washington gave us the worst compromise possible, declaring MEK a terrorist organization and going on using it for espionage and sabotage in Iran as well as against Iraqi Shiites. In 2005 the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and the Da`wa Party came to power in elections in Baghdad, the very parties against which MEK had been conspiring, and they have repeatedly tried to get rid of the Mojahedin, but were stopped by the Pentagon. The ‘Islamic Marxist’ guerrillas are likely now to be expelled. Al-Maliki said that they would not be forced to return to Iran, and could go to other destinations of their choice, but could not remain in Iraq.

The British military has handed over the control tower at Basra International Airport to Iraqi authorities. Britain had been using the airport as a military base, but now will withdraw outside it and allow it to function as a civilian, Iraqi facility. This step is a further phase in the British withdrawal from Iraq; the UK once had 40,000 troops in the country, and is now down to about 4,000. They will likely all be out by July 1.

As the foreign troops leave, Iraqis will have to settle their differences themselves. Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani slammed Iraqi Arab leaders for provoking ethnic tensions with Kurds.

Juan Cole is President of the Global Americana Institute

http://www.juancole.com/2009/01/iraq-regains-national-sovereignty-takes.html

January 3, 2009 0 comments

The MEK Expulsion from Iraq

Iraq to expel Iran rebels as it takes over camp from US

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Thursday that he would expel an Iranian armed opposition group from the country after taking over their base from US forces.

"Based on taking over everything and in accordance with our constitution and our policies of opening up to our neighbours… our forces are going to take full control of the camp where the People’s Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran (PMOI) live," Maliki said.

Maliki was speaking to reporters on the sideline of a ceremony during which the United States handed over to Iraqi forces security control of the Green Zone, symbol of the American occupation of the country.

The PMOI "is a terrorist organisation and thus cannot operate in Iraq because it will create a political crisis in contradiction with the constitution," Maliki said.

"We will treat them based on the international laws. We will not force them to go back (to Iran) but we will give them the opportunity to either go home, or to another country," he added.

"(Staying in) Iraq will not be an alternative for them," Maliki said.

Maliki, who was speaking ahead of a visit Saturday to Tehran, told Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in March that he would take steps to ensure that Iraq was not used by "terrorists" from Al-Qaeda, or from Iranian rebel groups.

Last month the White House said it received assurances from Baghdad that the rebel group will not be expelled to a country where they may be persecuted, apparently excluding their return to Iran.

US forces confiscated the organisation’s weapons following the March 2003 US-led invasion, taking away some 300 tanks, many of which were subsequently given to the Iraqi armed forces.

Two years ago Iraq decided to restrict the movements of the estimated 3,500 PMOI members to their base at Camp Ashraf, near the Iranian border, where they have been held under a kind of US-supervised house arrest.

Described as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, the PMOI, which was founded in 1965, has many supporters in the US Congress and British parliament.

Group members fought alongside Iraqi forces in the 1980-1988 war between Iraq and Iran and then settled in Iraq.

January 3, 2009 0 comments

Iraq

Iraq to close MKO camp in Iraq

Iraq has decided to shut down the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) Ashraf Camp as soon as possible, expel the MKO members from Iraq and close their file forever, said a senior Iraqi official.

Political advisor of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), Muhsin Al-Hakim exclusively told IRNA that Baghdad considered the MKO as a terrorist group.

Most of its members are based in Ashraf Camp north of Baghdad.

According to Al-Hakim, continued presence of the terrorist group in Iraq would be against Paragraph 33 of the Resolution 687 of the United Nations Security Council.

It would also be against the Iraqi Constitution, decisions made by the country’s presidency council and approvals of the Iraqi parliament, added the advisor.

The Paragraph 33 of the UN Security Council resolution, approved in April 3, 1991, required the government of Iraq to expel all terrorist groups that are present in the country.

The MKO members have two options of either returning home or leaving for another country but they cannot remain in Iraq any longer, Al-Hakim said stressing that the terrorist group was legally in an unclear situation as its members are neither considered refugees nor prisoners of war.

According to reports by human rights advocates, former members of MKO who returned home were living in good conditions, Al-Hakim added.

The advisor stressed that the grouplet has been barred from conducting all political, social and media activities on Iraqi territory.

He added that an Iraqi battalion was currently in charge of providing external security of Ashraf Camp while its internal affairs are undertaken by the foreign nationals department of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

MKO is known as a terrorist group for conducting violent operations in Iran.

It is labeled a terrorist organisation by the United States, the European Union and many other countries.

Many of the MKO members abandoned the terrorist organisation while most of those still remaining in the camp are said to be willing to quit but are under pressure and torture not to do so.

January 1, 2009 0 comments

MEK Camp Ashraf

Iraq to take over security control at Iranian opposition camp

The Iraqi government will take over security responsibility for Iranian opposition Camp Ashraf on Jan. 1 when the U.S.-Iraqi security pact comes into force, a U.S. embassy statement said on Monday.

"With the end of the UNSCR mandate for the Coalition Forces in Iraq, the Government of Iraq will assume security responsibility for Camp Ashraf and its residents as of Jan. 1, 2009," the statement said.

The statement also clarified that a U.S. force will maintain presence in the Camp which is located in Diala province in northeast of Baghdad and hosts an Iranian opposition group of Mojahedin Khalq.

It said that the U.S. troops "will continue to assist the Government of Iraq in carrying out its assurances of humane treatment of the residents of Camp Ashraf."

"The U.S. Government and Government of Iraq will work with appropriate international organizations to assist the camp residents in securing a safe future."

Camp Ashraf contains more than 3,000 Iranians from the Mojahedin Khalq opponents and their families. The Iranian organization had been used by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s regime to fight the neighboring Shiite state of Iran.

After the U.S.-led invasion, the U.S. troops disarmed the organization fighters and since then, the camp became under the U.S. military police protection for five years.

The Shiite-dominated Iraqi government repeatedly demands Mojahedin Khalq people to be removed from the country.

http://www.chinaview.cn/index.htm

December 31, 2008 0 comments

Iraq

Iraq seeks departure of Iranian opposition exiles

BAGHDAD, Dec 31 (Reuters) – Iraq said on Wednesday it wants thousands of Iranian opposition exiles at a camp north of Baghdad to leave the country, although it does not plan to expel them by force.

Iraqi forces take over responsibility for Camp Ashraf, home to 3,500 exiles of the People’s Mujahideen of Iran, on Jan. 1 as part of a bilateral deal governing the presence of U.S. troops who guarded the camp in the past.

The U.S. embassy said this week some U.S. troops will remain at the camp to help Iraqi authorities protect it after it passes to Iraqi control, but the Iranian exiles say they fear Baghdad may still try to shut it and drive them out.

The People’s Mujahideen fled to Saddam Hussein’s Iraq during the 1980s and fought with Iraqis during the Iran-Iraq war. U.S. forces declared the exiles “protected persons” after the 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam.

Baghdad and Washington both consider the exiles to be a terrorist group. The exiles say they fear that the Shi’ite-led Iraqi government, which has friendly ties with Iran, might bow to Iranian pressure to crack down on them.

“The Iraqi government will deal with the people in this camp in a humane way and according to internationally adopted standards, the Iraqi constitution and Iraqi laws,” Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement.

“The government of Iraq does not have any intention to expel the people of this organisation or force them to leave Iraq. But it calls on those people to find another place outside Iraq in any state that may accept them as refugees, or for those who wish to return to Iran to go of their own free will,” it said.

“Iraq is no longer a suitable place for them because the Iraqi constitution does not permit dealings with an organisation classified as a terrorist group.”

December 31, 2008 0 comments

Missions of Nejat Society

MKO Ex-Member:US impeding efforts to shut Ashraf Camp

Ex-MKO members: US impeding efforts to shut Ashraf Camp

London – Several former members of the outlawed terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) have accused the United States of hampering efforts to close the notorious Ashraf Camp in Iraq.

Arash Sameti, Director of Nejat Association’s Foreign Relations Department, told IRNA that Americans do not want the case of Ashraf Camp closed by refusing to cede it to Iraqi officials.

"The doors of the Ashraf Camp should be opened to international organisations and human rights entities to help those who want to leave the camp to save from the critical situation there," he said.

Sameti added that the Nejat Association, a non-governmental organisation trying to save people from the Ashraf Camp, welcomes the position of the Iraqi government on closing down the camp.

"We want western countries to support the Iraqi government and we express readiness to shelter those trapped in Ashraf Camp," he said, adding that many of Ashraf Camp residents are ill and under constant torture by MKO terrorists not to abandon the ill-famed militant group.

MKO, a dissident group which conducts violent operations against Iran, is labeled a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union as well as many other countries including Iraq.

Most members of the outlawed group are based in Ashraf Camp north of Baghdad. Sameti and several other former MKO members abandoned the terrorist organisation because of its coercive actions across the world and founded the Nejat Association -translated as save association- in 2003 to help save others who also want to quit MKO.

Most of the Ashraf Camp residents are said to be willing to quit but are under pressure and torture not to do so.

Sameti and other members of the Nejat Association are in London to lobby for their release. They have met members of the British House of Commons, government officials and human rights activists to raise their awareness about the misery in Ashraf Camp.

Babak Amin, the Secretary of Nejat Association, told IRNA they have also met senior officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

"Many MKO members in the Ashraf Camp do not want to be terrorists and it’s our duty to save them," he said.

Amin suggested that a flag be hoisted outside the Ashraf Camp so that those who want to put aside their "terrorist uniform" could take refuge under the flag.

"The non-political Nejat Association is ready to host them and even move them to Europe," he said.

December 21, 2008 0 comments

Auver-sur-Oise

A terrorist camp at the heart of Europe

Camp Ashraf has recently attracted the attention of the world due to the presence of MKO members therein. Years after its allocation to Mojahedin by Saddam, now it has grown to be one of the main challenges posed to the Iraqi government and people. Generally known as a heavily protected military citadel in the midst of a desolate desert, Mojahedin are making a vain attempt to homologize it to a city since it avails some facilities people need to live in any commune. However, the significance of Camp is pertained to individuals living inside it and their relations with the world outside rather than its structure and appearance. Despite numerous writings on the substantial differences between Camp Ashraf and other cities, it seems that its real nature has been concealed to the eyes of the outsiders or it may be subject to a deliberate negligence due to the propaganda blitz of Mojahedin as well as the type of their relations with Iraqi people and the European sympathizers.

But the story of Camp Ashraf and its significance as the main abode of Mojahedin does not end here. It continues just a few hundred miles over there in the heart of Europe on the green banks of the Oise in France. Although Mojahedin refrain to release information on their dwelling in Val d’Oise, the statements made by many MKO former members living there implies that Mojahedin have managed to build another Camp Ashraf in France.

DST (France’s Direction for the Surveillance of the Territory) broke into the headquarters of MKO in June 17, 2003 and seized almost 200 parabolic antennas and a hundred computers, radio scanners tuned to police frequencies and a fortune in dollars that were considered illegal in France. The existing condition of Mojahedin now on the brink of being expelled from Iraq, maintained on the global terrorist lists, their failure to secure refugee status in other countries, as well as their widespread campaign and organized rallies in Geneva necessitate a more in-depth study of Auvers-Sur-Oise, the small town that houses a dormant terrorist organization and an active cult of personality.

Nobody ever thought Ashraf in Iraq the HQs in Auvers-Sur-Oise would become the cultic bastion of Mojahedin. In order to depict a clear picture of Mojahedin dwelling in France we need a source of information. The lack of information in this regard means that Mojahedin aim at keeping it as a confidential issue not to be unveiled by outsiders. The use of modern security and controlling systems therein, forcing some members live there for many years as well as the type of relation it has with the world outside banning the free presence of interviewers and reporters may remind us of the measures taken in Iraq in Camp Ashraf. In addition, Mojahedin try to gain the confidence of their neighbors and the local officials by participating in social services in the region and providing monetary support for its residents; much the same as what has been accomplished in the surrounding areas of Camp Ashraf in Iraq.

These activities suggest that Mojahedin have access to sufficient funds by which they have managed to run propaganda and cultic projects in camp Ashraf as well as in Auvers-sur-Oise. Mojahedin are well aware that they need greater security in Auvers-sur-Oise in comparison to that of Camp Ashraf due to their June 17th dossier in France and the watchful control of France police on their activities. Therefore, it is predicted that Mojahedin in France would follow the same route they do in Iraq.

Despite the Iraqi government has repeatedly asked Mojahedin to quit the Iraqi soil, they have rejected so far since they believe to be legitimized landlords of a piece of land entrusted to them by an illegitimate, self appointed ruler. Likewise, it is highly probable that Mojahedin take the same route in France and avoid deserting their headquarters in Auvers-Sur-Oise. In addition, they may also transfer some of their qualified members from Camp Ashraf to Auvers-Sur-Oise illegally as practiced before but ignored by officials. Whatever the reason for this negligence, it seems that Auvers-Sur-Oise is a suitable alternative for Camp Ashraf.

Just as Saddam is now blamed for supporting and giving refuge to a notorious cultic organization, in the near future the France government may be subject to the same accusation. However, there is a great difference between the two. Saddam was a notorious dictator himself and could be best known by the company it kept, hardly it can be said that he was unfamiliar with the real terrorist nature of MKO. France on the other hand is well known for developing the embryo of democracy and can plainly distinguish false, pretentious claims of pro-democracy. Therefore, France bears a heavier responsibility if it is beguiled by a handful of disreputable cultist whose ideology is intertwined with violence and terrorism. The Europe in the past has had enough of terrorist nightmare to let more germs of terrorism grow on its soil. But the question is why it procrastinates to deal with the dynamite that might suddenly explode next to its heart. Of course, we hope that the France government has taken precautionary measures to prevent the occurrence of tragic events whose sole victims are innocent civilians.

December 3, 2008 0 comments

Auver-sur-Oise

Auvers-Sur-Oise, the blind spot in the Val d’Oise

In an interview with VOA, Alireza Jafarzadeh, the diplomatic activist of MKO, released some statistics on Camp Ashraf. He raved about the number of Ashraf members as well as entertaining, educational, health, and medical centers therein. Likewise, Mojahedin-run TV is engaged in broadcasting programs on the significance of Camp Ashraf and its residents giving repeatedly cliché, inflated information on the structure and facilitations of Camp. It is evident that the demagoguery is aimed to cover the truth about what really passes within Ashraf under a cover of heavy media propaganda. However, many believe that it is a tactic through which Mojahedin attempt to distract the attention of the public opinion to effortlessly continue with their main job in Auvers-Sur-Oise quarters.

As a terrorist cult, the organization has developed sophisticated techniques to twist the mind of its listeners from among a range of sympathizers, advocates and ordinary run of people uninformed of the facts. It well recognizes the effect of propaganda in how to defend peace and freedom by appealing to patriotism, nationalism and humanitarian sentiments to continue with its violent plans.

Camp Ashraf is now considered as the mainstay of Mojahedin with regard to the practice of their cultic relations. After the Fall of Saddam in Iraq and the takeover and siege of Ashraf by the U.S. forces, Mojahedin have actually lost the opportunity of using the camp as the command center of plotting and launching over the border terrorist operations. Therefore, it has no strategic significance for the time being and has turned to be a spot merely keeping the cultic relations of the organization ongoing and intact. Now this question arises that in spite of overexposure of Camp Ashraf, why Mojahedin keep silent on releasing the least amount of information on their main quarters in France where the leaders, on whom the survival and life of the cult depend, are residing and making decisions?

Except the local residents of Auvers-sur-Oise, hardly any visitor to the calm town is conscious of a globally proscribed terrorist cult having situated its citadel there. Reported by New York Time’s correspondent Craig S. Smith going there on an arranged interview with Maryam Rajavi:

The sleepy town of Auvers-sur-Oise, 20 miles northwest of Paris, is best known as the place where van Gogh lived the last months of his life. Japanese and American tourists wander uncertainly down its main street, peering at reproductions of his paintings in front of the buildings that they portray. Few of the tourists are aware that the town is now home to an almost cult-like Iranian opposition group, some of whose members have divorced their spouses as an act of loyalty to the cause and whose armed wing is on the State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations. The group’s devotion to Mrs. Rajavi is so extreme that some members set themselves on fire when she was briefly detained by the French police two years ago. 1

It has to be pointed out that Auvers-Sur-Oise is not an ordinary site; on the contrary, it is well guarded by means of numerous controlling and security systems to the point that they have caught the attention of all interviewers and reporters arriving there. Almost all individuals meeting the residence of leaders and ranking Mojahedin in France unanimously focus on its complexity and high level of security. According to an Italian reporter once coming to have an interview with Massoud Rajavi:

His [Rajavi’s] dwelling in Auvers-sur-Oise, in the Parisian suburbs, is much like a fortress. There is a high wall keeping it concealed from suspicious looks. There are high voltage barbed wires around as well as searchlights on the walls illuminating the surroundings. The road to Massoud Rajavi’s villa (leadership centre) is controlled by two French check-points equipped with machine guns. The only entrance to villa is guarded by Mojahedin forces themselves. 2

Also, the Germany national broadcasting writes:

There were some impedimenta in our path to his [Rajavi’s] dwelling, 4 kms to northwestern Paris. The park therein was not well landscaped; the area was surrounded by barbed wires charged with high voltage. There were a number of French police officers at the entrance door to settle the possible disputes. 20 men always accompany Massoud Rajavi. His political assistants live outside his small fortress. 3

As noted by another Italian reporter, the main residence of the Rajavis and the highly imposed drastic security measures even for the group’s members is described as:

A place where no one (even the insiders) can enter unless fully inspected and under highly control measures. 4

The use of controlling systems fails to be productive in itself; however, the act of Mojahedin in misusing the facilities provided for them by the West is a matter of consideration. They make attempt to abuse these facilities for the achievement of their cultic and terrorist objectives and according to D.S.T report, they have established another cultic-terrorist haunt in France. The western political analysts have come to the point that ‘the Rajavis misuse the surprising laxity of the European governments by living in Auvers-Sur-Oise luxuriously for many years.’

There are evidences that Auvers-Sur-Oise is known at the present to have become the main strategic base for Mojahedin and they abuse it in different ways in order to pursue the totalitarian objectives. According to D.S.T report:

We have been able to identify numerous PMOI members recruited and housed in France, making regular trips to Iraq… They also follow several different routes to Iraq: passing through Jordan, Egypt, or Turkey. They make their connections through different European countries, such as Belgium and the Netherlands… Once in Iraq, the militants undergo various levels of political and military training. The NLAI fighters coming from Iraq regularly visit PMOI HQ in Auvers-sur-Oise, while veteran soldiers are installed in France and remain continuously active in promoting the organization. 5

In addition, a fact is acknowledged that Mojahedin aim to establish another Camp Ashraf in the Europe:

The Mojahedin’s aim was to move their "world operational centre" -previously based in Baghdad -to the Val d’Oise. 6

Interestingly, Mojahedin broadcast the majority of their television programs from Camp Ashraf and refrain to give any information about Auvers-Sur-Oise while almost all their political contacts and activities are conducted from the HQs there. It is much surprising that at a time when Mojahedin petition the West to remove their name from the terrorist list, what really panics them to let a free entrance into their dwelling. What is really different about Camp Ashraf and the camp in Auvers-Sur-Oise with the former being the focus of the media and propaganda while the latter remains off the air.

References

1. New York Times, September 24, 2005

2. Massoud Rajavi’s interview with Corriere della Sera Daily.

3. Massoud Rajavi’s interview with Deutschlandfunk.

4. Massoud Rajavi’s interview with Italian News agency (Ansa).

5. Gessler, Antoine; Autopsy of an Ideological Drift, chapter 14, DST report on MKO.

6. ibid.

November 15, 2008 0 comments

Mujahedin Khalq Organization's Propaganda System

Mujahedin Bebehind the misinformation, disintegration

Iraq, Camp Ashraf, Mojahedin-e Khalq Behind the misinformation, disintegration

An agreement was reached earlier this year for security at Camp Ashraf, the military base of the Iranian Mojahedin-e Khalq terrorist group, to be transferred from American to Iraqi forces.

The MKO reacted with a blitz of misinformation aimed at media and decision makers.

This misinformation has a single aim; to persuade decision makers in every field that Camp Ashraf must remain untouched, protected externally by US forces, while internally it must be kept exclusively under the control of MEK leaders with no external interference at all.

The preservation of Camp Ashraf is essential to MKO leader Massoud Rajavi because it provides the total isolation in which mind control methodology can be used for cult indoctrination.

As a result, some recent reporting on the MKO contains confusing and conflicting information which passes for fact but which can be sourced to the misinformation issued by the MKO itself.

Iran-Interlink here examines the MKO’s claims in relation to Camp Ashraf and, in the context of other information, provides some brief analysis.

Mojahedin supporters claim the people in Camp Ashraf face persecution or even execution if sent back to Iran

The Iraqi government has given repeated assurances that it will abide by international law and no-one will be forced to return to Iran against their will.

Over 600 MKO have already voluntarily returned to Iran and the ICRC which has oversight of their treatment has reported no incidences of any mistreatment, persecution or even detention.

Although Iran has not rescinded its amnesty for ‘repentant’ MKO members who wish to return home, BBC monitoring reported that one Majlis representative demanded the return and execution of MKO.

In the context of reports that US forces have removed 300 leading MKO members from Camp Ashraf in recent weeks, Iran rejects the idea that the west ‘cherry pick’ useful MKO operatives and send the unwanted ones home for Iran to deal with. Such stances are designed to ensure that western governments take all MKO operatives from Camp Ashraf to any western countries which can tolerate them.

Mojahedin supporters claim it is the only resistance to the Iranian regime

The true resistance to the Iranian regime are the people inside Iran who live on a daily basis with the lack of freedoms and rights. They are the front-line of opposition. The MKO has no presence in Iran in this respect. The people inside Iran are not waiting to be ‘rescued’ by this military-political cult. They are competently opposing their own government on a daily basis. Instead, the MKO is regarded by ordinary Iranians as a foreign treacherous force which sided with Saddam Hussein during the eight year war with Iraq, and which is now asking the U.S. to bomb them, invade their country and hand it over to the Rajavis.

Proponents say members of the camp have been recognized by the U.S. as "protected persons" under the Fourth Geneva Convention since 2004

No matter what is claimed by the American military and the MKO itself, the body which decides on this status is the United Nations. The UN says that the Geneva Fourth Convention does not apply to any uniformed paramilitary group and in any case, the conditions for applying it have not existed since 2004. The MKO cannot be assessed as individual refugees until they lay down their arms and take off their military uniforms.

Proponents claim that Amnesty International and other non-governmental organizations that speak out against transferring authority of the camp to Iraq is proof that their cause is legitimate.

Neither Amnesty International, nor any other body, has ever said authority should not be transferred to the sovereign government of Iraq. AI has only urged that international law on non-refoulement be respected by both the U.S. and Iraq. The Iraqi government has given repeated assurances that respect for international law is a fundamental basis for the treatment of the individuals in Camp Ashraf.

Mojahedin supporters claim the people in Camp Ashraf will face ‘a Srebreneza-style massacre’ on the orders of Iran if Iraqi military take control

The handover is by mutual agreement between U.S. and Iraqi governmental officials. Iraqi officials from various ministries have expressed their outrage at the deeply insulting insinuation repeated by western media that they will act like Saddam Hussein and simply massacre their opponents. They assert that the role of Iraqi military is no different from that of the U.S. military in relation to Camp Ashraf which is, to detain the residents and provide security during their detention.

Mojahedin supporters claim taking them off the terrorism lists will enable the MKO to overthrow the Iranian regime

From 1983 to 2003 the MKO has had every possible encouragement and support, whether political, militarily, financially and etc, to do exactly that. Since its biggest incursion into Iran in 1988 in which hundreds of civilians in its ranks were killed, the MKO has been unable to effect any change to the internal situation of Iran other than cause an increase in the level of repression.

Inclusion in western terrorism lists did not prevent the MKO in Iraq from continuing to launch terrorist attacks into Iranian territory through to at least 2002. Only since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 when the MKO was forcibly disarmed has the group been unable to continue its military track.

Inclusion in western terrorism lists has not prevented the MKO from fundraising, recruiting and lobbying legislators in western countries. Removing the group from these lists will make no material difference to the group, but will allow it to become deeper entrenched in western political establishments.

The MKO misinformation serves a single purpose; to delay the disintegration of the group – an inevitable outcome which can be either facilitated or hindered by western governments and humanitarian agencies.

• Delay will allow the leaders to re-group in western countries and abandon unwanted rank and file members.

• Delay will expose rank and file members to increased human rights abuse; recent escapees say ten percent of women in Camp Ashraf have undergone unnecessary hysterectomies to rob them of the chance of having children. This process is ongoing.

Iran-Interlink urges that a separate camp be opened by the Iraqi government next to Camp Ashraf to allow defectors an escape route.

Iran-Interlink urges that the closed doors of Camp Ashraf be opened to outside bodies, including the families of people inside the camp and international humanitarian agencies.

Interested people can contact Iran-Interlink and/or the Iraqi government for up-to-date news about Camp Ashraf.

October 11, 2008 0 comments

Newer Posts

Older Posts