European Union

EU to offer €22 million aid for MKO members’ resettlement

The European Union plans to provide 20 million euros in aid for the relocation of Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK, a.k.a. MKO) members outside Iraq.

According to the A EU to offer €22 million aid for MKO members’ resettlement rabic-language website Voice of Russia, in her meeting with the Iraqi minister of Human Rights, head of the European Union Delegation in Iraq Ambassador Jana Hybáškova, said the EU plans to allocate 22 million euros for the relocation of MKO members outside Iraq in order to respond to Iraq’s requests.

The Iraqi Minister of Human Rights said the GOI has been seriously obligated to the agreement signed with the United Nations.

The United Nations and the Government of Iraq signed on December 25, 2011, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a humanitarian and peaceful resolution of the situation of the MKO members in Iraq.

Mohammed Shia al-Sudani criticized as “irresponsible” the countries who are constantly expressing concern over the condition of MKO members in Iraq, but refuse to accept them in their countries.

A number of other representatives of diplomatic delegations in Iraq were also present at the meeting.

Germany’s ambassador to Iraq referred to his country’s readiness to accept 100 members of the MKO, adding “87 of them had been living in Germany.”

Voice of Russian, arabic – translated by Habilian Association

February 2, 2014 0 comments

European Union

Victims’ Families Protest against MKO Leader’s Presence in Eu Parliament

(Note: This report has been mistakenly attributed to Habilian, it is in fact from Edalat Society)

Habilian Association – an NGO formed of the families of 17,000 victims of terrorism in Iran – in a letter to the European Parliament, protested against the presence of the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as MEK, NCRI or PMOI) leader Maryam Rajavi in a session of the EP committee sessions.

“Maryam Rajavi is a terrorist and there is no place for terrorists in the parliament,” the letter said, and added, “Some EP members who have close cooperation with MKO should rather spend their energy on transferring Camp Liberty residents to a third country and in this way prevent the MKO leaders from victimizing these people.”

The letter reminded the European Parliament that the MKO has killed thousands of Iranian and Iraqi citizens as well as seven Americans.

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

A recent Human Rights Watch report accused the MKO of running prison camps in Iraq and committing human rights violations.

According to the Human Rights Watch report, the outlawed group puts defectors under torture and jail terms.

The group, founded in the 1960s, blended elements of Islamism and Stalinism and participated in the overthrow of the US-backed Shah of Iran in 1979. Ahead of the revolution, the MKO conducted attacks and assassinations against both Iranian and Western targets.

The group started assassination of the citizens and officials after the revolution in a bid to take control of the newly-established Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran’s new leaders in the early years after the revolution, including the then President, Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister, Mohammad Javad Bahonar and the Judiciary Chief, Mohammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks by MKO members in 1981.

The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.

The terrorist group joined Saddam’s army during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and helped Saddam and killed thousands of Iranian civilians and soldiers during the US-backed Iraqi imposed war on Iran.

Since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the group, which now adheres to a pro-free-market philosophy, has been strongly backed by neo-conservatives in the United States, who eventually took the MKO off the US terror list.

The US formally removed the MKO from its list of terror organizations in early September 2012, one week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent the US Congress a classified communication about the move. The decision made by Clinton enabled the group to have its assets under US jurisdiction unfrozen and do business with American entities, the State Department said in a statement at the time.

In September 2012, the last groups of the MKO terrorists left Camp Ashraf, their main training center in Iraq’s Diyala province. They have been transferred to Camp Liberty which lies Northeast of the Baghdad International Airport.

Camp Liberty is a transient settlement facility and a last station for the MKO in Iraq.

December 9, 2013 0 comments

European Union

MEPs must intervene to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in MKO

Honorable Members of European Parliament

Kanone Iran Ghalam (KIG) a humanitarian organization established in Germany for more than a decade by defected members of the Iranian Mojahedin-E-Khalgh Organization (MEK), some of them with more than a quarter of century of history inside the MEK.

KIG has been disclosing the atrocities of the MEK against their own members inside the Cult like organization and elsewhere.

In this respect, KIG would like to bring the followings to your kind attention:

-Whilst the transfer of the imprisoned members of MEK in Camp Liberty in Iraq to a third country has been stopped by the Masoud and Maryam Radjavi the leaders of the MEK.

-While the MEK members in Camp Liberty see no future for themselves in the MEK organization.

-Whilst, according to the United Nations officials, the leaders of the MEK have created a dead lock for the release of their members in Camp Liberty by creating many problems in the process of their release.

-while, the captive members in Camp Liberty have been ordered to go on hunger strike, depriving them from their basic rights of eating and drinking are suffering physically and psychologically.

-Whilst the ordered hunger strike is in its 90th days with absolutely no prospect what so ever.

-Whilst the main goal of the MEK Leaders is to eliminate the dissident members inside the organization by this action, are also after utilizing the hunger strike and the deaths resulting from it for more media coverage purposes.

KIG would like to ask your honorable members of EU Parliament to take action to put an end to this humanitarian tragedy in Camp Liberty Iraq.

Now days will be marking the last days of some innocent people in Camp Liberty, your action will be of a great value in saving innocent lives.

Undoubtedly, MEK Leaders stationed in Paris have the full responsibility of this gradual death which is clearly a crime against humanity.

Kanon-e Iran Galam

December 9, 2013 0 comments

European Union

European Union statement on killing of Camp Ashraf residents

Statement by High Representative Catherine Ashton on the killing of residents at Camp Ashraf

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission issued the following statement today: “I condemn in the strongest terms the killings that took place at Camp Ashraf yesterday, which according to various reports claimed the lives of numerous camp residents. My sincere condolences go out to the families of the victims and I extend my wishes for a speedy recovery to those who were injured in yesterday’s violence.

The circumstances in which this brutal incident took place must be clarified and those found to be responsible must be held fully accountable. I welcome the decision of the Government of Iraq to open an inquiry. I further call on the Iraqi authorities to ensure that the residents of the Camp are protected from any further violence and that the wounded obtain all necessary medical assistance.

The EU is committed to a peaceful solution of the Camp Ashraf issue and I fully support U’AMI’s decision, under its humanitarian mandate, to conduct an independent and transparent assessment of this tragic event. I call on all parties and particularly the Government of Iraq to facilitate UNAMI’s fact-finding efforts.”

September 4, 2013 0 comments

European Union

EU welcomes Albanian offer, Fully supports Kobler efforts

EUROPEA/ U/IO/ Brussels, 20 March 2013

A 153/13

Statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the decision by Albania to offer resettlement to 210 former residents of Camp Ashraf

The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission issued the following statement today: "I welcome the decision by the Government of Albania to resettle 210 former residents of Camp Ashraf, now temporarily located in Camp Hurriya. I have followed this issue very closely, lending my full support to the work of the United [n]ations Assistance Mission for Iraq, and in particular the Secretary General’s Special Representative Martin Kobler, towards a peaceful and durable solution to this humanitarian issue. Permanent resettlement outside Iraq is the only such solution.

The attacks of 9 February on Camp Hurriya have reminded us that all efforts must now be made to ensure that the process of resettlement to third countries moves forward without delay.

I therefore call on the MEK leadership and the residents to respond positively to the offer made by the Government of Albania and to cooperate constructively with the United Nations, including by resuming the interviews with the UNHCR. I understand that this does not represent a complete answer to the problem the residents are facing, but I am convinced that this is a first step in the right direction, which deserves everybody’s support. I also recall the responsibility of the Government of Iraq to ensure the safety and security of residents of both Camp Ashraf and Camp Hurriya, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed on 25 December 2011 with the United Nations.”

____________

P R E S S

FOR FURTHER DETAILS:

Michael Mann +32 498 999 780 – +32 2 584 9780- Michael.Mann@eeas.europa.eu

Maja Kocijancic +32 498 984 425 – +32 2 298 65 70 – Maja.Kocijancic@ec.europa.eu

Sebastien Brabant +32 460 75 09 98 – Sebastien.Brabant@ec.europa.eu

/abila Massrali +32 460 75 41 75 – /abila.Massrali@ec.europa.eu

Eamonn Prendergast +32 460 75 32 93 – Eamonn.Prendergast@ec.europa.eu

www.eeas.europa.eu

——-

Office of Catherine Ashton, European Union, March 21 2013

http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/

cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/136360.pdf

March 25, 2013 0 comments

European Union

Le Soir: EU not to grant asylum to the MEK members

Mujahedin Khalq bad history hinders the processes of its members’ resettlement, ISNA quoted Le Soir Newspaper.

Le Soir, the French language Belgian Newspaper in a report wrote that the Belgium has informed the UN secretary General on the countries’ decision to accept 200 members of the MKO on the condition of their detachment from political activities.

However the foreign Ministers of Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark and Finland ; during a meeting held two weeks ago have decided not to grant asylum to the members of MKO based on the current provisions.

Le Soir also urged the United States to make more effort to move MKO members from Iraq and locate places for their resettlement in US.

Translated by Nejat Society

December 13, 2012 0 comments

European Union

Pay attention to Mujahedin and their deterrent policies

A letter from Iran Pen club to European union’s High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , Lady Catherine Ashton

Honorable Mrs. Ashton A letter from Iran Pen club to European union’s High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , Lady Catherine Ashton

European union’s high representative of the union for foreign affairs and security policy

As you are well informed that the relocation of Mujahedin from Iraqi soil has been the request of the lawful and legitimate Iraqi government for almost a decade , and in the recent months with intervention of United Nations to this subject , logical and feasible solution regarding to relocation of the pmoi members to the temporary and transitional liberty camp and then the relocation of those members to the third country has begun and fortunately during one month and half 1600 of pmoi members were relocated to the liberty camp and now in just less than 10 days remaining for the end of agreement between the Iraqi government and united nations but 1800 of pmoi members , the majority of the pmoi population , have not been relocated to the new place yet.

According to the personal experiences of the members of this association , pen club, who some of them had spent more than 20 years of their lives inside this organization , in the past they had warned and informed the juridical and responsible societies about pmoi leadership’s deterrent policies and now after almost three months , the statements of Mr. Martin Kobler , United Nations’ special envoy , regarding to relocation of the pmoi members quoting from news agencies ,substantiate and proves the authenticity of the Iran pen club worries .

According to the news agencies ¨ ……….. American government and United Nations in the subject of relocating the residents of Ashraf camp have got problem. According to the Martin Kobler’s statement , the United Nations’ representative in Iraq , the residents of Ashraf camp do not cooperate in the subject of their relocation to the new camp . but the biggest problem is their acceptance by the third country , no country is willing to accept people’s mujahedin …………¨ quoting from VOA and the interview with Martin Kobler

Honorable Mrs. Ashton

Because of the statements of UN reliable representative , we have become more worried about destiny of our friends and the pmoi dissident members who at the moment are captive inside this organization . the consecutive pmoi deterrent policies in the relocation process and procedure which has begun seriously under direct UN-supervision shows that the pmoi leadership is willing to draw this peaceful relocation process to scuffle and insurgency and unrest .

The Iran Pen Club is willing to fully cooperate in this matter and they welcome all efforts and struggles which help our friends and the pmoi dissidents who are stuck in this organization to be rescued. the undemocratic relations of pmoi leadership , Massoud Rajavi, does not allow the pmoi members to decide freely for themselves , so we urge you as a honorable and prominent figure in European Parliament to interfere with more decisiveness to forward the UN objectives in this relocation process of pmoi members to camp liberty and then transferring process to the third country.

We would like also to draw your attention to this point that in the situation which the US state department has not shown any intention to delist this organization from its terrorist list but ¨Henry Wooster , the director of Iran Affaires’ Office in US state department¨ in an interview with VOA clearly announces that :

¨ ……..even if they delist this group from the terrorist list , pmoi is not a democratic alternative ……. One of the problems that we have with mujahedin is that in our point of view , they can not be representative of a democratic reformist movement in Iran………..¨

You should pay attention that the people’s mujahedin ,because of their cooperation and collaboration with Saddam Hussein as enemy of Iranian people , are very unpopular among different Iranian groups in Iran and on the other hand the Iraqi government has said officially that these people should leave Iraq soil and the relocation process of these people to the camp liberty will come to an end in 10 days. According to the experts’ opinion the fact is that, their 30 years of dwelling in Ashraf camp has isolated them from the real world and valid and authenticated information about their past and this subject that, they are eligible and qualified to become refugee or not , is not available and also there are recent news which emphasize that the pmoi members inside Iran carry out attacks from Israel side which has become a deterrent factor and element for their relocation to the European countries .

With respect and best wishes to your feasible measures

Iran Pen Club, Germany, May 03 2012

May 3, 2012 0 comments

European Union

EU welcomes first transfers from Camp Ashraf

EU High Representative Catherine Ashton Saturday "very much welcomed" the news from Iraq that the first group of residents from Camp Ashraf has moved in a voluntary, orderly and peaceful manner to Camp Hurriya. EU welcomes first transfers from Camp Ashraf

"I congratulate the United Nations – in particular the Secretary General’s Special Representative Martin Kobler – for many weeks of sustained efforts to facilitate this critical first step towards a peaceful solution to the situation of Camp Ashraf," she said in a statement.

She also commended the Government of Iraq, and the Camp residents themselves, for the commitment and flexibility which enabled this first move to take place.

Ashton said she will continue discussing with EU Ministers how best the EU can continue to support a peaceful and durable solution to this humanitarian concern.

Over 30,000 Iranians belonging to the dissident group Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) are housed in the Camp near Baghdad.

February 19, 2012 0 comments

European Union

EU member states urged to accept camp Ashraf residents as refugees

High Representative Catherine Ashton will urge member states to take in some of the Iranians who are settled in the Ashraf refugee camp in Iraq, according to an EU official. The diplomat said that the EU was looking at ways to take in some of the refugees who have strong ties with member states, as the Iraqi government announced it wanted to close the camp before the end of the year. Of the 3,200 refugees in the camp, between 800 and 900 might have enough links with third countries to be repatriated there, the diplomat said. Negotiations are currently underway to evacuate the camp in the most peaceful manner and agreements should be found with the refugees, but the EU official warned that other ways had to be studied in advance in case the refugees refused to evacuate – a hypothesis that is being taken very seriously. The diplomat also said that Tehran had offered immunity to the refugees who were willing to go back to Iran.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has estimated that as many as 1,000 refugees where thinking of doing so.

The camp was established under Saddam Hussein’s regime during the Iran-Iraq war for the military training of the main opposition People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK). In January 2009, control of the camp was transferred from the US, which obtained command in 2003, to the Iraqi authorities, who have since attacked the camp on numerous occasions on the grounds that the refugees might have collaborated with the former dictator. According to the United Nations, on 8 April Iraqi security forces killed at least 31 refugees and wounded another.

Europolitics

December 3, 2011 0 comments

European Union

Open Letter to Catherine Ashton

Dear High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mrs. Ashton,

Dear Foreign Ministers of the EU-Member States, We want to warn you explicit to avoid a harum-scarum acceptance of MEK

During the 1 December session of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussls, the situation of the Peoples Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI) and their base “Camp Ashraf” in Iraq, will surely come up.

The clashes between Iraqi security forces and Camp Ashraf residents in the past, as the imminent bloodshed during the announced closing of the camp on 31 December led you, Mrs. Ashton, to appoint Mr. Jean de Ruyt as advisor in this special issue.

Following the Press, the acceptance in the member countries of some of the Iranians living in Camp Ashraf will be discussed at the 1 December session.

We want to warn you explicit to avoid a harum-scarum acceptance of those people.

The Camp Ashraf inhabitants are part of a cult-like Organisation with a personality cult on the leaders Massoud and Maryam Rajavi. In the last decades they were separated from the outer world, especially from their families, to put their lives completely at the service of the organisation. Most of them are not at the height of technology and even do not know, how to use a cell phone or the internet. To wrench those people out of “their world” and put them in a foreign country and in an unknown world, will tighten them to the organisation.

The UNHCR told that in order to determinate their refugee status, individual interviews will need to take place in a safe, neutral and confidential location. Also the Iraqi government has signalled to support this procedure.

We would suggest, bringing the people from Camp Ashraf in contact to their families in connection with this interviews.

Based on the fact, that nearly 70% the Ashraf inhabitants live there because of the pressure and under the influence of the PMOI propaganda, several even against their will, bringing them in contact to their families could be a possibility to solve the problem.

The return to Iran, witch is vehement preached by the PMOI to be no option, could be a possibility for the people to reunite with their families and free from the influence of the PMOI.

The ICRC has repatriated several hundred Ashraf defectors to Iran during the last years, without them being persecuted or oppressed by the Iranian regime.

Only up to 350 of the 3400 people in Camp Ashraf are facing a persecution by Iranian or Iraqi law enforcement agencies, which those people are committed cadres and PMOI leaders.
There are whispers, that the organization is working on “evacuating” their leaders from Camp Ashraf and bring them through Turkey to the EU illegal,while the other members should be immolated as “Martyrs” in the battle against the Iraqi troops.

To prevent such a bloodshed we are convinced, that it is necessary to offer the Ashraf residents the contact to their families and the “real world” outside the organization and the gates of Camp Ashraf, to reveal them alternatives to the violent fight for Camp Ashraf, which they presumably do not beware of because of the PMOI propaganda and indoctrination.

We want to give the people in Camp Ashraf the possibility to recognize, that they can decide on themselves, if they want to get back home to their families, or try to get asylum in other countries or fight for Camp Ashraf.

Certainly it will be necessary to accept a certain number of people in the EU and we urge each EU member country to do their bit to a humanitarian solution of this problem. But to prevent the Ashraf residents from the PMOI influence, it is essential to bring them together with their families and show them, the reality is not like the PMOI has constituted it since decades.

For some time past, there is a network of PMOI defectors, families of Ashraf residents and several NGOs who work hand in hand with the Iraqi government and so were able to bring PMOI defectors, who managed to escape from Camp Ashraf by their own, back to their families. The UNHCR and the EU can fall back to this network to make this way possible to all people in Camp Ashraf.

On this reason we urge you to take a stand for this way at the session of the Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on 1 December and discuss it as a serious option and as a preliminary step to a resettlement to third countries.

With best regards
Ali A. Rastgou
Cologne, November 28, 2011

November 28, 2011 0 comments

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