These former members of the MEK, who are opposed to the group they left, are also opponents of the Iranian government and in the aforementioned letter, they strongly criticize Javaid Rehman because he went to the group’s headquarters in Paris visiting the group’s leader, Maryam Rajavi. He addressed her as “President Elect”, the title used by the MEK to refer to the self-appointed Maryam Rajavi

In their letter, the signatories emphasize on the importance and sensitivity of the issue and share their concerns based on their objective experiences regarding the MEK with Rehman. They express their concerns on the following two axes:

– First, we are afraid that the Mujahedin Organization would abuse your efforts and positive reputation in fighting for human rights just to pursue its own political goals.

– Second, we are concern that your association with the Mujahedin Organization could damage your reputation and, consequently, your entire efforts to fight for human rights relating to Iran. Obviously, we would like to avoid such a scenario at any cost.

In the beginning of the letter, former members of MEK state that the affiliation of a part of those executed in Iran to the MEK cannot in any way be a justification for Javaid Rehman’s cooperation with the group. To prove this, the signatories of the letter, along with rejecting Maryam Rajavi’s claim about the establishment of a “democratic republic” government in Iran, provide testimonies about the most undemocratic behavior of the Cult of Rajavi:

Dear Mr. Rahman,
Based on our personal experiences and documented observations, we recognize the Mujahidin organization as a criminal organization with a mafia structure. We believe that any communication or cooperation with this organization cannot be justified, even though some of the executed prisoners belong to it. Many of us could have been executed or killed like numerous others who were tortured during the operations of this organization. The struggles for fact-finding and human rights in Iran should not lead to collaboration or cooperation with the Mujahedin organization.

In her speech at the same meeting where you were present, Maryam Rajavi said: “We are standing up for an Iran without torture, repression, and free from oppression and inequality, for a democratic republic based on the separation of religion and state, with an independent judicial system based on the principle of acquittal, the right to defense, the right to a public trial and the complete independence of judges and the abolition of the Sharia laws.”

That allegation was a blatant lie. Many of us have experienced arrest, forced interrogation, prison and torture, all without any trial, lawyer or simply respect for basic principles of human rights such as the “principle of innocence” within this organization. Some of those people have been killed under torture, including Gurban Ali Torabi, who was one of the political prisoners in the 80s.

In her speech, Mrs. Rajavi also claimed that “We are proud to be freedom and human rights fighters.” This is another great deception. This organization is opposed to freedom of expression. Some of those who separated from this organization have faced life threats by this organization, simply because of publishing their experiences and hidden facts about the organization.

Dear Mr. Rahman,
We briefly draw your attention to some serious and documented accusations against the Mujahedin organization and its leadership, which show that this organization is not democratic, does not believe in freedom, and operates with a mob and repressive structure. Accusations such as:

– Brainwashing of members through long meetings called “ideological revolution”, promoting individuation and sainthood of Masoud and Maryam Rajavi.

– Forcing married men and women in the 1990s to “ideological divorce” through mental-emotional pressures and followed by gender-based segregation of men and women.

– Forcing members to write self-reports about their sexual thoughts and dreams through psychological/emotional pressures. Forcing members to confess against themselves regarding these issues in small or large groups (tens or hundreds) of members. Inciting the members in these meetings, in the presence of Masoud and Maryam Rajavi, to verbally attack or throw spit, insult, accuse, and in some cases physically attack the “subject” meaning the person who has submitted a report against themselves. Since the end of the 90s, this systematic procedure has been continuously going on.

– Separating about 700 children from their families within the Mujahedin organization in Iraq in the early 1990s. Sending those children to different countries in Europe and North America, which in practice, led to disintegration of the family institution. Eventually, this act caused severe emotional trauma to those children, the consequences of which continue even now well into their adulthood.

– Recollecting some of the same children at the age of 14 or 15 to Camp Ashraf in Iraq, the main headquarters of the Mujahedin Organization, and forcibly recruiting those children as child-soldiers. In many cases, this was done by deceiving the children, falsely promising them to meet their parents and return to the country where they lived.

– Some of those children and ex-soldiers who have disclosed their experiences in interviews with European newspapers or appeared in a documentary film in Sweden, have been heavily subjected to character assassination and accusations by the Mujahedin organization. In response, a group of Iranian political-social-cultural activists, with different political tendencies in different countries protested these actions of the Mujahedin Organization in a statement (link provided below) .

– Imprisonment and physical-psychological torture of disaffected members within the Mujahedin Organization, and baseless accusations against them. Launching psychological warfare, accusations and character assassination against those dissidents who separated from MEK or the National Council of Resistance, and those who publicly spoke about their experience within the Mujahedin organization or published articles after the separation. This accusation includes even those who have interviewed with a non-Iranian media against MEK.

– Removing the uterus of numerous women within MEK without their consent and sometimes without informing them. Fereshteh Hedayati, one of the women separated from MEK, who had been a member of this organization for 32 years, addresses this issue, revealing that she herself was one of the victims who underwent a surgery for removing the uterus without any medical diagnosis or relevant reasons. She mentions about 120 other cases that she is aware of.

– Recruiting Iranians living in Iran as well as Iranians living in Turkey, Pakistan, and the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, transferring them to Iraq, and preventing them from leaving the organization and from Iraq during the time when the Mujahedin organization was based in Iraq. These people were deceived and transported to Iraq using mob tactics and human trafficking.

– Lack of transparency and accountability of the leadership of the Mujahedin Organization. Independent journalists are not able to meet and talk with members of this organization. Even the leadership of this organization refuses to talk to independent journalists.

Dear Mr. Rahman,
We are willing to share our experiences with you in person or through online means and to answer all your questions with accuracy and honesty. Some of us have published articles and books in Persian about our experiences with this organization, which are accessible on different websites. At the end of this letter, you can find the links that show a very slight amount of the multitude of available information relating to our claims.

In conclusion, we reiterate our concern regarding your human rights efforts which can be politically exploited and abused by the Mujahedin Organization. We hope that your independent and valuable efforts regarding human rights will continue and successfully come to a significant conclusion.

The signatories of the open letter to Javaid Rehman are the following defectors who live in different parts of Europe and have criticized the Cult of Rajavi in recent years:

Azimi, Jama – UK, Banki, Atefe – Norway, Dehghan, Gholamreza – UK, Ebrahim Pour, Hamid-Reza – Germany, Gooran, Reza – Norway, Habashi, Manijeh – USA, Hejazi, Bina – UK, Heidari, Nariman – Sweden, Hidarnejad, Hanif – Germany, Hosseinnejad, Zeinab – France, Nabibakhsh, Tahereh – Denmark, Naderi, Siamak – Germany, Najafi – Australia, Nematullahi Haghighi, Amir – Canada, Pourahmad, Mostafa – Netherlands, Shahi Azar, Adel – Germany, Taee Semiromi, Jaber- Germany, Vatanparast, Esmat – Sweden, Yaghmai, Amir – Sweden, Zargar, Mojtaba – Germany

The post Open letter of the MEK defectors to Javaid Rehman appeared first on Nejat Society.

Mrs. May Sato, the respected UN rapporteur on human rights of Iran
Congratulations to you on your new responsibility, we hope you will be successful in your new activity.

We are a number of people who have separated from the People’s Mojahedin Organization. The MEK had kept us captive for years and deprived us of any freedom.

We were not allowed to contact our families. We were not allowed to communicate with the outside world. We were constantly humiliated and oppressed. We were not allowed to leave their camp.

We finally managed to get out of the MEK camp, or better to say escape, when the American forces were based in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
The MEK still has kept a large number of Iranians like us in captivity. We declared this issue to Mr. Javaid Rehman several times through letters, however, he did pay no attention!

Unfortunately, recently we saw that Mr. Javaid Rehman appeared among the MEK without paying attention to our testimonies.

Ms. Mai Sato,
We request you not to be deceived by the leaders of the Mojahedin organization. Their slogans about freedom and human rights are not true at all. Our bitter experiences of our years of presence in this organizations differs completely from the leaders’ claims
We are ready to provide you with our objective evidence.

Sincerely,
A number of MEK former members

Arak-Markazi-Iran
1- Fazel Farhadi
2- Taha Hosseini
3- Hassan Zarjini
4- Fawad Basri

The post Don’t let the MEK leaders deceive you appeared first on Nejat Society.

While congratulating your selection as the special rapporteur on human rights in Iran and wishing you success, we are a group of members separated from the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) who were members of the organization; some of us were members of the organization for more than three decades. Regarding your efforts in the field of truth-finding and follow-up of human rights deficiencies, we found it necessary to inform your Excellency of our concerns, which are based on our first-hand experiences of inside the MEK.

1- We consider it necessary to inform you about the political goals of the MEK in the field of human rights. During the term of Mr. Javaid Rehman, the leaders of the organization tried to serve their own goals by presenting false reports so they harmed his efforts and credibility in truth-finding about human rights

2- Based on our personal experiences and first-hand observations, we consider the MEK as a completely undemocratic movement with a cult-like structure. We believe that any cooperation with this organization cannot be defensible even by claiming that part of the prisoners who belong to them. Because many of us, like many other former members of the MEK have been executed or tortured by the group itself.

3-Actions for truth finding on human rights in Iran should not be led through the channel of cooperation with the MEK which is a formerly terrorist designated entity with a violent background. In her recent speech before the former reporter, Maryam Rajavi, the MEK leader said, “We advocate for a democratic republic founded on the separation of religion and state, with an independent judiciary adhering to principles such as the presumption of innocence, the right to defense, the right to a public trial, the complete independence of judges.”

This claim is nothing but a lie. As former members of the MEK, we are victims of torture and imprisonment in the religious extremist cult of Rajavi. In the MEK, we were sentenced to torture, imprisonment and death without the right to defense, the right to a public trial. Event after leaving the MEK, a number of MEK defectors have faced life threats by the side of the MEK simply because of the publication of their testimonies on the facts from inside the MEK.

Mrs. Sato
We find it necessary to briefly mention some serious and documented crimes of the MEK and its leadership, which proves that the organization is not democratic and does not believe in the principles of freedom.

The MEK has a completely cult-like and repressive structure. They brainwash members through long meetings called Ideological Revolution, coercing them to worship Massoud and Maryam Rajavi. They have forced couple members to divorce. Celibacy is mandatory in the MEK. Gender segregation of is strictly observed by the leaders. In their manipulative system, they force members to write reports about their most inner thoughts or dreams and sexual dreams in order to read the reports before their peers. Peers should attack each other in the meetings, including the meetings of Masoud and Maryam. They are due to verbally attack, spit in the face and insult and accuse the person who is tried in the meeting, and in some cases they physically assault the one who is accused for not being ideological enough.

4-Separation of more that 800 children from their parents who were in the MEK camps in Iraq during the 1990s and smuggling them to some Western countries without the inner satisfaction of them and their parents. This separation left children with severe emotional blows and traumas. Several of these children were then recruited as child soldiers by the MEK. Some of them participated in military operations during the MEK’s presence in Iraq and were killed.

5- Imprisonment, physical, mental and psychological torture of dissident members inside the MEK, under baseless accusations. Launching psychological warfare and character assassination against defectors of the MEK. Taking out women’s wombs without any medical reason to justify it. Disconnection of members’ communication with their families. Lack of freedom of speech. Deprivation of access to the outside world and of free use of the Internet and other media communication facilities.
We are ready to share our experiences with you in person or online and to answer your questions carefully and honestly. In the end, while wishing you success in your valuable and independent efforts for human rights, we reiterate our concern.

With respect, a group of former members of the MEK from Khuzestan, Iran

The post MEK ex-members share concerns with the new UN rights rapporteur appeared first on Nejat Society.

Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran
With regards.
I am Hamael Ghanizadeh, the mother of Mehri, Nahid and Mahmoud Saadat, who are living in the closed camp of Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK) in Albania and without any right to have contact with the outside world and with their family.

I plea you to hear our voices as elderly, suffered mothers of MEK members. We have been wronged a lot, if we are among the same people for whom you are responsible for human rights, please help us too, we have souls, we also have hearts, we are the most aggrieved of all, we are waiting for our loved ones’ visit for a long time.

You are a human being, feel a little sorry for us mothers who have been exiled and suffering and suffered mental torture. Come, we have souls, we also have hearts, we are the most afflicted of all, we have been blind for several years.
Please care about our sufferings. Why shouldn’t we be able to visit our loved ones? What is our sin? Our only sin is to be mothers of MEK members!

Ms. Mai Sato, you might be a mother yourself, do you tolerate such a situation? As a mother, how much can you tolerate not seeing your children? 1 year? two years ?10 years? 40 years??

I haven’t met my three children for more than 37 years, I don’t know how to talk about my request, my sufferings and my grieves. now, I am an aging, ailed mother who needs your help. I can’t bear this suffering anymore.

Respected authority, I want you to help me and other mothers of MEK members.
where else in the world would a mother be deprived of seeing her children for such a long time!
many years? Were our children killed? Are they prisoners? Doomed not to meet? What is the sin of our children? Have they killed someone? Are they prisoners of MEK leader?

Ms. Maryam Rajavi considers the Islamic Republic as enemy, however prisoners of IR allowed to visit their families weekly and, in some cases, gives them time off. The MEK claims to be Human Rights advocate but it does not allow its members to visit their mothers or even have a short telephone call. They even are not allowed to write letter to their mothers.

Please accelerate my visit with my children at the MEK Albania’s camp. Please let me have a meeting with you to recount my experiences with this organization. I am looking forward for your action as a human right activist.
We, mothers of MEK members plea you to help us with our visit with our children.

Sincerely,
Hamael Ghanizadeh, mother of three MEK hostages at Manze Camp, Albania.
Iran – Tabriz

The post MEK hostages’ mother pens letter to Mai Sato appeared first on Nejat Society.

The names of the families who signed the letter this week addressed to Mae Sato are:

The post Additional signatures of the families on the letter to Mai Sato appeared first on Nejat Society.

Dr. Mai Sato
United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in the affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Greetings and regards:

Before entering into the nature of my appeal, I would like to congratulate you on your new assignment as the special rapporteur on human rights in the affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran and I wish you success.

I am the legal representative of hundreds of former members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK, MKO) based in Iran. The current members of the MEK, led by Maryam and Masoud Rajavi, are now living in an isolated and remote camp called Ashraf 3 in the city of Manez in the province of Durres in the country of Albania.

firstly, I would like to review your serious responsibility in the matter of human rights. Special rapporteurs are responsible for the mission assigned to them by the United Nations Human Rights Council, which they carry out independently of governments and with respect for non-partisanship. In this way, they play an important role in monitoring the sovereignty of nations and policies and democratically elected governments. The role of special rapporteurs, beyond fact-finding missions, is to report on the complaints of those who are victims of human rights violations.

Unfortunately, Mr. Javaid Rehman, the former rapporteur of HR, by violating the protocols of the United Nations, acted based on the double standards policies, not as a representative of the United Nations, but as a special agent and spokesperson for Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the MEK. As, recently he attended the MEK terror group’s meeting.

Dr. Sato
I am the legal representative of former members of the MEK based in Iran. By using mind control methods, MEK has practically launched modern slavery and brainwashes people with cultic methods and subjects them to spiritual and physical abuses, as well as torture and finally kill them.

According to one of the important clauses related to the limits of the authority of special rapporteurs in order to implement the mission related to gathering evidence, the fact-finding committee, by following relevant standards and methodologies, tries to access and collect information, documents and evidence. It includes interviews, testimony of witnesses, documents and other information, and in order to collect information related to their investigation, this committee communicates with a variety of people and institutions.

Considering the fact that many former members of the MEK live in Iran and are located in the geographical region of your jurisdiction, I invite you as the legal and official representative of these people to meet with at least a number of former members to find out the truth about the anti-human actions of the MEK, conduct a face-to-face meeting and follow up on this issue by receiving their complaints.

I am impatiently waiting for your reply

With respect
Samad Eskandari
Legal representative of the former members of the MEK based in Iran

The post Appeal of the legal representative of the MEK former members to Mai Sato appeared first on Nejat Society.

The text of the letter is as follows:

Dr. Mai Sato
United Nations
Human Rights Special Procedures
Special reporter on the Islamic Republic of Iran

Greetings and respect
We have learned that you have been appointed to the position of Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran and have officially started your task on August 1, 2024. First of all, we would like to congratulate you on your appointment to the new post and wish you success in the sensitive and delicate mission ahead of you.
We are the families of members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK, MKO). Our loved ones are currently living in a closed and remote camp of the MEK in Albania without any contact with the outside world, especially with family, friends and acquaintances.

During these years, the MEK has maintained and controlled its forces through deception and mind control, and has deprived them of marriage, family formation, and contact with the free world.

Through the media of the MEK, we learned that this organization had meetings with you and established communication with you. This organization, which acclaims the violation of human rights in Iran, has a heavy case of violating the most basic human rights of its own members and their families.

The “European Convention on Human Rights” refers to provisions of human rights that are completely violated in the MEK camp in Albania, according to the testimony of a large number of members who managed to escape. These survivors are ready to testify about this wherever necessary.

According to the relevant convention, these items include:

European Convention on Human Rights

The MEK, led by Massoud and Maryam Rajavi, is a terrorist cult that has committed many crimes inside Iran. This organization also entered the war against its own country in collaboration with Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war and then suppressed the uprising of the Iraqi people as Saddam Hussein’s private army. Currently, this organization is highly hated among Iranian people and even among other opponents of the Islamic Republic.

We, the undersigned, request you to question the MEK regarding the violation of human rights inside the closed and remote camp of this organization near the city of Manëz in Durrës province in Albania and ask this organization to open the doors of its camp for journalists and independent international officials to visit and provide the possibility of communication between families and people inside the camp.
We are waiting for your kind response and action

Thanks and regards
The families of members trapped inside the MEK camp in Albania

The list of names of the families, who signed this letter, to the extent that it was possible to access and sign the letter in a short notice, is attached. More names and signatures will be sent later.

The post Letter from the families of members of the MEK to Mai Sato appeared first on Nejat Society.

As well as other members of Nejat Society, families of the MEK members from Zanjan who have been deprived by the MEK leaders of contacting and visiting their loved ones attended the premier of “Colonel Soraya” last week. The film is based on the true story of Soraya Abdullahi, the mother of Amir Aslan Hassanzadeh, a hostage of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK). It depicts the stories of families who are expecting the release of their loved ones, taken as prisoners by the Cult of Rajavi.

families of Nejat Society’s Zanjan office

Eventually, families of Nejat Society’s Zanjan office sent a letter to Javid Rehman inviting him to watch the movie in order to get a better understanding of the sufferings and pains of mothers of the MEK hostages.

Notifying that the film has been able to only illustrate a small part of the atrocities of the MEK leaders against mothers and their loved ones, they called on the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran to take immediate action in order to end this heartbreaking tragedy. They asked him to interfere in the case directly by compelling Maryam Rajavi to allow the members to visit their families.

Zanjani Families stressed that the indifference of human rights bodies and the UN causes the MEK to continue disobeying the international laws and ignoring the mothers’ demands.

The post Families of MEK hostages asked Javaid Rehman to watch the movie, Colonel Soraya appeared first on Nejat Society.

We are the sister (Robabeh) and brother (Seyed Abbas) of Seyed Hossein Razavizadeh Bahabadi. We have not seen our brother for almost 37 years and now we want to file our complaint against the Albanian government under the UN International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, of which the Albanian government is a signatory.

Robab Razavizade

Seyyed Hossein Razavizadeh Bahabadi was captured in 1982 on the Iranian Defense Front against the invasion of Iraq. Until 1988, he was in various prisoner-of-war camps in Iraq and communicated with his family through letters during his captivity. Until in August of the same year, we learned through the International Committee of the Red Cross that he had left the POW camp and joined the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK or MKO) and had gone to Camp Ashraf, the headquarters of the MEK in Iraq.

Once in 2003, our father managed to meet him at Camp Ashraf in Iraq. We do not know anything about him from that date until today, and we are not even sure whether he was transferred to Albania after the transfer of MEK members.

Seyed Hossein Razavizadeh Bahabadi

We wrote many letters to the Prime Minister and other Albanian officials, as well as European officials, asking for information from our brother. We also signed a petition with other families addressed to the Albanian government and asked to contact our relatives in the MEK camp in Albania. This petition had more than 11,000 signatures. Unfortunately, there was no reaction from the Albanian government.

Abbas and Robab Razavizade

It should be noted that the Albanian government does not issue visas to Iranian citizens at the request of the MEK, and therefore we are not able to travel to Albania and pursue the matter through the judicial authorities of this country.

We request the relevant international body to address this issue. We want to get into this issue and find our brother Seyed Hossein Razavizadeh Bahabadi, who has been forcibly away from us for nearly four decades, to enable him to communicate with his only sister and brother.

Robabeh and Seyed Abbas, sister and brother of Seyed Hossein Razavizadeh Bahabadi

Iran – Yazd

The post Razavizade family complains to the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances appeared first on Nejat Society.