MKO former members
Mr. Ali Barzegar, a former member of MKO, returned home after twenty years of membership in the organization. Mr. Barzegar was welcomed by his family who had been awaiting his return since he had gone on compulsory military service twenty years ago when he was captured by MKO. During those twenty years, he was under psychological manipulation by Rajavi’s destructive cult and deprived from enjoying a normal life.
Excerpts from Bani Sadr’s memoirs taken of the interview with Pen Club
…The day after the bombing of Islamic Republic Party office, Mr. Abbas Davari and Mr. Azdanloo [two MKO members] came to see me. I asked them if they had bombed the IR Party office. They 
told that they hadn’t. I had already issued a statement to condemn that attack, the same day. I asked them the question because I was looking for a reason to accept Mujahedin’s alliance with our foundation. […]
When they declined the responsibility of that bombing, I posed some questions to answer so that I could decide what to do. The questions were about independence, freedom, the position of a political organization in society, the position of MKO in the society, the method of thinking in MKO – if it was like the past, a mixture of other ideologies?- if MKO was ready to accept critics on its ideology. They brought me the answer. They said that they had admitted the entire questions I had written […]
We are supposed to go to MKO’s safe house where we can learn about the changes they claim in their thinking method. If I make sure that the changes are serious; if they admit to the critics they are faces; if MKO becomes an organization with the objective of freedom, not the objective of power, I will manage to let them be a member of NCR. They bring me a book called Explaining the World. I read and correct it page by page. Then Mr. Rajavi comes to see me. I find out that the house belongs to his first wife [Ashraf]
I told Rajavi that we want nothing for the future. We don’t need any state and we just want to be political activists. Rajavi promises to make all changes in their ideology in order to adapt it with the freedom objective […]
[…] I tell Massoud Rajavi :" I cannot trust you totally, power addiction will not leave people easily […] I hope that you really act in accordance with what you say."
We manage to write an act based on three basic principles: Independence, freedom and lack of hegemony. I define these three principles: Any organization to submit to these principles, accepts that the objective of the struggle is freedom not power […]
One day Rajavi came to me and told that we had to communicate with states in order to be recognized as an alternative. I replied that the states were seeking their own benefits and we had nothing to do with them […]
[…]An hour later Mr. Rajavi came to my room and told that Mr. Tariq Aziz had asked to visit him […] I told him:" Now that you accepted to visit him, you should treat him the way our Iranian Emperor Shahpour the first treated the Roman Valerian. Our Emperor humiliated the invader to our country. He [Tariq Aziz] should understand that he had invaded a country which has national pride. You should notify that and you shouldn’t let the visit last more than half an hour." […] He said "Ok, I will" but instead of behaving like what he was supposed to, the meeting lasted 5 hours so that the following day Le Monde newspaper wrote that Mr. Tariq Aziz bought Mr. Rajavi or something like that […] after that visit, Rajavi’s behavior changed and changed …
Translated by Nejat Society
Dashtestani was a 16-year old teenager when he was captured by Iraqi forces in his way from Abadan to Mahshahr [two towns in SouthWestern part of Iran where Iraq invaded in 1979].in 1988 after ten years of imprisonment in Iraqi prisons when Mujahedin offered him help return to Iran ,he admitted their offer.
He was deceived by MKO due to two reasons .First because he was not informed enough and second was MKO’s dirty recruitment tactics and the mind control system that enhanced and abused that lack of information.
Mr. Mahmoud Dashtestani succeeded to release himself from the bars of Rajavis’ Cult and returned to his homeland and joined his family.
On Monday, January 18, 2010, Nejat Society Shiraz Branch proudly received another defector of Rajavi’s destructive cult.
A delegation of MKO former members met with authorities of Amnesty International. During the meeting they described and clarified the situation of picketing families of Rajavis’ Cult hostages at Camp New Iraq (formerly Ashraf ) as well as the condition and situation of captive members of the MKO Cult. They also declared the families’ rightful demands of visiting with their loved ones. They asked the Amnesty international to intervene and force the MKO aka PMOI/MEK/MKO leadership to allow those families to see and meet their loved ones.
A letter also presented to the Amnesty International
Statement of Massoud Tayebi, the dissociated Vice President of the Army Staff Headquarters and a member of the Central Council of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (aka MKO, PMOI, NCRI, Rajavi’s cult, MEK…).
At the time I chose to leave the Mujahedin Organization, I, Massoud Tayebi, was a Vice President of the Army Staff Headquarters and member of the Central Council of the Mujahedin. I also held a high position in the Organizational MO, which is a rank for males only. I have more than twenty years of Organizational activity and work experience with the Mujahedin Organization.
After two decades of active political life with the Mujahedin, I managed to escape the Mujahedin’s base in Iraq, and at present I am living in Europe as a political refugee.
I started my political activity with the Mujahedin in 1978. In 1981 I was arrested and spent one year in Evin’ and Ghezelhesar’ prisons in Tehran. After my release, I continued my political activities with the Mujahedin. The government discovered my activity and one night armed personnel attacked my residence. I escaped the attack and for six months lived underground in the city of Mashhad. In 1984, I was helped to flee Iran by the Kurdish Democratic Party and to join the Mujahedin’s bases in Kurdistan in the north of Iraq.
From then until 2001 I worked in the Mujahedin performing various duties, including with the publicity department. In 1991, I was appointed as a member of the Central Council of the Mujahedin Organization. My name and identity is registered in the Mujahed Publication (Special Edition) of 1991 which is available as evidence.
In 1994, I went to Paris with Maryam Rajavi, returning to Iraq again in .1996. In 1999, in recognition of my 20 years of professional political and organizational activity with the Mujahedin I was appointed as a Vice President of the Army Staff Headquarters. My picture is printed in Mujahed publication No. 562 year 2000. My latest duties in the Mujahedin were to produce and anchor the propaganda program on the 24 hour satellite program of the National Liberation Army of Iran. I have a video recording in which I am performing as broadcaster in accordance with my long relationship with the Mujahedin and also my experience in camera work, I was present in a meeting during which some individuals who were not in agreement with the Mujahedin’s political policy, expressed their desire to leave the organization. Unfortunately, as a result, they were subjected to an unfair trial. This trial was organized and directed by the leader of the Mujahedin, Massoud Rajavi. There was neither a defense lawyer nor a jury in this trial.
I realized how cruel and unfair the Mujahed in really are by holding such trial. This made me think and, after 23 years of serving this Organization, I decided to disassociate myself from the Mujahedin. I hold it necessary to notify others of my disassociation with the Mujahedin Organization through this announcement.
Masoud Tayebi
Dear Mrs. Hillary, Honorable Secretary of State
Respectfully, I would like to introduce myself before anything else. I am an ex member of Mojahedin Khalq Organisation (MKO). In 1990 I became an outspoken critic of what is know as the "forced divorces" and special relations between the organisation and Saddam Hussein, the ousted dictator of Iraq. I was imprisoned for a few months in solitary confinement inside camps of Mojahedin Khalq Organisation in Iraq. I am living in Switzerland now.
I would like to inform your Excellency that the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran was founded in 1965. Its ideology is a combination of Marxism and Islam.Their ideology is based on fighting against capitalism and they believe that the United States of America is the symbol of global capitalism and they call the USA ‘the World-Eater Imperialism’. Their ideological principle and objective is based on fighting against the United States and its interests, and in this regard they have written and published many books such as, The Carter Presidency (World Eater Imperialism). With such an ideology and approach which exists in the Mojahedin, they began their terrorist operations against American citizens and American offices located in Iran in 1971.
As a result of the terrorist operation which happened in 9/11 in the USA, every country became 
astonished and confused at such brutal and barbaric acts, which targeted thousands innocent people in the twin towers, and all these countries and their governments condemned such brutality and savagery. But, surprisingly the PMOI’s operatives and leaders threw a very big party in Bagherzadeh Garrison in Iraq and celebrated that incident and showed their admiration for that terrorist act by dancing, shouting and congratulating one another in front of their leaders, Massoud and Maryam Rajavi.
Massoud Rajavi was on the stage and while he had his hands on his waist he began a war cry against the USA, and in his admiration for Osama Ben Laden and his organization, Al Qaeda, he said, ”This was fanatical Islam which trembled and shacked the basis of US Imperialism and they destroyed the twin towers which were the symbol of their power, and successfully reduced it to rubble through their successful mission”. Then he (Massoud Rajavi) with a smile on his face continued his war cry and said, ”What will happen to the USA if revolutionary Islam with our Ideology and Maryam’s leadership comes to power, then this paper tiger (the USA) will be destroyed as a whole.”
After the downfall of Saddam Hussein, all the PMOI members underwent various interviews for recognition of their identification by the US State Department’s agents, the CIA, FBI, and specifically US Military Information section MI. They gained a huge amount of very valuable information from the PMOI members – all of which documents and information substantiate and prove that the ideology and the strategy of the PMOI are all anti-western, and particularly anti USA.
The US State Department has justly listed the PMOI and its political wing the National Council of Resistance (NCRI) as a terrorist organization in its terrorist list. While the State Department listed them as a terrorist organization, it did not have the valuable information which it now has now. In a report that was published in 2005 by the US State Department regarding the terrorist organization list, it mentioned justly that the PMOI is a potential threat and is a very dangerous terrorist organization. In that report it was mentioned that the PMOI has the potential to become a dangerous organization in any period of time because of their special terrorist training and cohesive organizational structure. For instance, on 17th of June 2003 when Maryam Rajavi was arrested by French Police, PMOI leaders ordered their members to set themselves on fire in public streets. If there was no complaint and protest from the international bodies and humanitarian organizations against this kind of brutality and savagery, it was still going to become one of the biggest of human catastrophes.
I must stress that even though the State Department reports of 2005 and 2006 are not complete, that the report shows that this organization is a religious cult.We think the MKO in Iraq is finished, especially after the fall of Saddam Hussein and his government. The Iraqi Government wants to assert its sovereignty, regain its property, the garrison, and they do not want to keep those people on their soil who cooperated fully with Saddam Hussein against their people. So now we should ask ‘why do the leaders of a cult terrorist organization want to keep the Ashraf,s garrison?
We have enclosed a small sample of the evidence which has already been made public concerning the MKO. The charges against the MKO and in particular its leaders include but are not limited to: crimes against humanity and war crimes inside and outside Iran.
With many thanks and regards
Batoul Maleki
Cc:
– Embassy of USA in swiss
– Ministers of Affairs of the EU-
– Relevant MEPs
-Office of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maleki
Mr. Alireza Einakian could manage to run away from Camp Ashraf after midnight of September 7th 2010. His escape was successful due to his courageous innovate plan. The following is the interview with Mr. Einakian by Sahar Family Foundation:
SFF: now that you could release from Camp Ashraf, how do you feel?
Mr. Einakian : Before my escape, I had no idea of Iraqis organized procedure. I just wanted to get rid of Ashraf in any way. Because of MKO’s propaganda about the outside world, everyone hesitated to leave the camp. For example, they said that the hotel – where I stay now- is the center of corruption. When I first came here, I expected to see what the organization’s leader had told us, but I was surprised to see that nothing was so as what they had said. I was not willing to visit the agents of Sahar Family foundation because in the organization, they had demonized it a lot, but then I found out that all of that false propaganda was opposite to what I saw with you. When you first introduced yourself, I was really shocked but I believed your honesty after I listened to you. First I decided to use a false name, then I said to myself that living with lie is enough.
The organizations propaganda on SFF has caused the members to panic even the name of this foundation.
During the twenty-five years of my life in Ashraf I really remained retarded of normal life. It is impossible to compensate.
SFF: Didn’t you have an organizational marriage during your membership in MKO? What do you think of marriage and having a family? Why does MKO oppose to marriage?
Mr. Einakian : No. I didn’t get married even organizationally but I would like to have a family. I think God has created men with this instinct and marriage is not contradictory to religion, morality and etiquette and it is highly recommended. If there was a problem with marriage, prophets would never get married.
The organization claims that obligatory divorces are along with [the regime’s] overthrow and it will release the members’ energy. But in fact not only their energy wasn’t released, but also their minds got more involved in sexual issues. Later they claimed that forced divorce was executed to liberate men and women. They said that was for your whole life and you would not marry again even after the overthrow. Actually we were all busy working too hard and we didn’t realize how Rajavi tricked us in to his malicious goals.
SFF: What motive caused you escape the organization?
Mr. Einakian: In fact my main disagreement with MKO was "forced divorce". I had no deep, internal faith in it. I wondered how a man (Rajavi) had absolute power over others. I couldn’t tolerate the officials humiliating and insulting me anymore. They verbally abused members in their meetings but all facilities are in their hands. The low-ranking members ought to labor very hard. The internet was only used by high-ranking female members because Rajavi didn’t trust male members.
I know it’s too late to compensate but I try to convince myself that I have time to live but I know I have lost a lot of opportunities and I consider Massoud Rajavi as the only responsible for my current situation. If I had known what was going to happen in MKO, I would have never joined it. Under the rule of Rajavi, you could only experience pressure and tension. So I decided to end the issue. I asked myself why I don’t live in freedom for the rest of my life; why I should waist my life in MKO.
Today a new topic is being discussed in MKO:"Eradication of sexual issues". It means that you should confess anything you think of. Primarily you shouldn’t think of sexuality but if it crosses your mind, you should report it in the meeting. I was always worried about those meetings, my mind was all the time involved with such problems. I always asked:"Oh God! When will the meetings finish?"
All those numerous meetings had no benefit, no result. I concluded that I had to escape Ashraf and finally I succeeded to run away.
SFF: How is the relationship of UN authorities in Iraq (UNAMI) with MKO?
Mr. Einakian : This was a confidential issue and ordinary members had no idea of such relationship. In case of any visit with the authorities, the group’s leaders would let us know by a brief report. This would happen occasionally not as a routine job.
The organization tells UNAMI that the members are afraid of their coming to Ashraf and in this way the commandants prevent UNAMI’s access to rank and file members. I think that UNAMI officials should contact MKO’s low-ranking member outside Camp Ashraf so the members feel comfortable to talk to them.
Once UNAMI had installed a station in Camp Ashraf, MKO had also installed an inspection station in order to stop members going to UNAMI station. Today UNAMI has no office in Ashraf.
I suppose that the presence of UNAMI officials in Camp Ashraf cannot solve the problems since the members are not able to talk to them in a free atmosphere. The commandants have been ordered to monitor those who are problematic (or as they call) "weak circles". The visit should be held outside the camp and without the presence of MKO authorities.
Sahar Family
Translated by Nejat Society
Mr. Alireza Einakian could manage to run away from Camp Ashraf after midnight of September 7th 2010. His escape was successful due to his courageous innovate plan. The following is the interview with Mr. Einakian by Sahar Family Foundation:
SFF: what does an MKO member do in a typical day in camp Ashraf?
Mr. Einakian: There are some general programs to plan the members’ daily schedule so there is so little time left for members’ personal affairs. Since the wake up time in the morning – which changes according to the season – until lunch time, you have to work continuously. After lunch there is a short break time, then you should attend the meetings in the afternoon. Then its exercise time and then the members should have dinner. After dinner, members might attend meetings again otherwise they have to listen to special tapes. Thus, at the end of a working day, you are so exhausted that you just fall asleep. There will be a great problem if you are supposed to stand guarding at night! The mentioned schedule is carried out on weekdays but in the weekend (Thursday and Friday) the plans change. The members believe that the weekends’ schedule is worse than that of weekdays because they have to attend numerous meetings held one after the other. It is so bothersome.
SFF: How about manipulation meetings and the reports members are supposed to write?
Mr. Einakian: Everyday when you attend Current Operation meetings, you should write about at least three or four sins you committed before attending the meeting, during the day. If you write nothing or very few facts about yourself, you will be criticized by your peers in the meeting.
The "layer meetings" are held every other day.
You should attend them while you have certainly written a report. In case you haven’t written a report, you will be the subject of the meeting; you will be insulted and at the end you will have to sign an engagement letter to promise that you will bring a report for the following meeting.
On Thursday afternoon, they usually hold a weekly brainwashing meeting in which members of the same rank should attend. Every individual should read his sexual moments [moments of sexual thoughts]for his peers and make a conclusion. I usually tried not to listen to the others’ facts after reading my own ones because while listening to their sexual thoughts I myself would have sexual thoughts too.
SFF: in order to prevent members from escaping the camp, what obstacles have the organization imposed?
Mr. Einakian: To bar the members from runaway, they control all departures and arrivals to the complex at night. You cannot simply leave the building. On the other side, the commandants have some control systems to control members, especially low-ranking members. The control is particularly heightened in collective ceremonies. There are also some patrolling cars to control all trafficking in the camp. When the Iraqis are closer to the members, they increase guards to stop the members from joining Iraqi forces. The male commandant of each unit is constantly present to prohibit any escape.
They have highly restricted trafficking in street 100 in order that they can prevent escaping from the cult. Members should traffic in groups of at least two people. They have forbidden trafficking at night.
In the collective meetings where Massoud speaks to the audience, he claims that anyone who leaves MKO is the regime’s spy who breaks the saint oath so he will turn in to pig. He actually tries to frighten the members.
They say that the defectors are taken to Hotel Mohajer which is a center of corruption and in which IRI’s intelligence agents wait for them to turn them into spies. That way they frighten the members and put them under pressure. Thus the members are always in an internal, mental fear of leaving the camp.
SFF: how did it go on July 28th and 29th 2009 when the group’s members encountered Iraqi forces?
Mr. Einakian: Generally when something is signified as "Red Line" in MKO, it means that you should never pass the Red Line. Last year, on July 28th and 29th , the entry of Iraqi forces to the camp had been defined as "Red Line". Iraqis arrival in the camp was like a taboo. On the other side, there were Iraqi forces that were determined to enter the camp in order to install their police station. The authorities of Camp Ashraf didn’t want to let them come in the camp. They didn’t want them to know about what was going on in Ashraf.
That was the start of clashes. When the members were ordered by their commandants to prevent Iraqi forces from entering the camp, the clashes began and lasted until night and ended with the death of eleven residents of Ashraf.
In my opinion the only person who is responsible for the death of those people is Massoud Rajavi since the main line of such a reaction [to Iraqi forces] was under his order. Female commandants of Ashraf including Mozhgan Parsaiee control various sect of the camp. They analyze those incidents saying that they have to stop Iraqis from getting into the camp otherwise they can install everywhere in the camp and we cannot deter their influence.
Actually, they were afraid of the member’s easy access to Iraqi police. They even forbade the members to go out of their units when Iraqis finally were able to arrive in the camp. They forbade any contact with Iraqi forces.
Translated by Nejat Society
Falling in a well called Ashraf
Interview with Mahmoud Dashtestani a recently defected member of Mujahedin Khalq Organization.
– You mean in your ideological meetings where you could discuss your problems and doubts, you couldn’t ask the question?
– No. when in 2003, Massoud went to conceal, they held 16 or 17 ideological meetings via telephone or the internet. We could only hear his voice. We were seriously scared to ask via which site we could hear the brother {Massoud]’s voice. We didn’t have the courage to say that it looked like the brother’s voice was coming from near hear.
You can never ask about two things in MKO. Money and Massoud Rajavi.
-did you ever see someone ask about Massoud? If yes, how did they respond?
You don’t have to ask or see anything. The psychological atmosphere ruling Ashraf has been created in a way that you never let such questions cross your mind.
In MKO, there is a hierarchy in its security structure, where small mistakes are discussed in lower ranks. There are also two security sections; internal security and intelligence security. There is also a section called counter-intelligence. When you ask about MKO’s financial resources and where Massoud is, you will deal with the counter intelligence section.
– Did they mention any reason for Massoud’s disappearing?
– In a large meeting held in 2003 after the disarmament of the group, Massoud Rajavi himself told us that he would conceal himself because he didn’t want more pressure on Ashraf and members.
Well, naive –minded people may believe this reason but the bottom line is that if anything happens to Rajavi whether he is arrested or whatever, his cult will collapse. He says that his successor is Maryam but I believe that Massoud Rajavi himself is the main axis of the cult. The entire group and its substance only depends on Massoud Rajavi.
But the truth is that Rajavi sees himself as more important than the organization.
– How do you analyze all the cult’s efforts to maintain Camp Ashraf?
– Good question! I don’t analyze. I say the fact I witnessed. In Iran they call Ashraf, “Camp” or “garrison” but in the group the cult it “strategic center of struggle”, that’s why they say even cleaning Ashraf streets is a holy fight. They claim that “Ashraf is the hope of heroic Iranian people!”
– Since I returned to Iran, I have hardly ever seen people who have little information about Ashraf. People do not know where Ashraf is and who mujahedin are? People don’t care about MKO or Camp Ashraf but in the group they claim that in Iran, at least 90% of people watch MKO TV channel. They claim that 90% of Iranians support MKO and hope that Ashraf will release them!
Suppose you are walking in a street in Tehran and you say “I am a Mujahed-e-Khalq” [a member of MKO], you will be hit and crushed by those Iranians of whom some might oppose the IRI.
Ashraf is a symbol in the Rajavi’s cult. MKO has based its activities on protection of this symbol, but the proper symbol links them to their terrorist background which was justified by “armed struggle”. After the disarmament of MKO and gradual defection of forces Ashraf symbol, turned into an abandoned prison.
Translated by Nejat Society
Falling in a well called Ashraf
Interview with Mahmoud Dashtestani a recently defected member of Mujahedin Khalq Organization.
In their mind control system they had to prevent the members’ minds getting into sexual or emotional thoughts. If you think of your ex-wife, you should write it and then read your confessions in your brainwashing meetings where your comrades will attack you, insult you saying that “you are wrong”, “damn you”. “That woman is not your wife any more”. “She is your ideological sister”. “She belongs to the leader”.
The weekly brainwashing meetings are obligatory. You must confess a sin -a sexual one. It will be even worse if you do not confess anything. They take you to a place called Bengali where they talk to you for several days, putting you under too much pressure. They say that you definitely have some sexual thoughts that you are concealing.
Their arguments and sometimes quarrels in the meetings were justified as “human science”! What a human science! They call it monotheist “Anthropology” in which they use peer pressure as weapon. They say peer pressure is just like the leader.
They always label the members as “ogle”. For instance, when you watch CNN news on Mujahedin’s TV, they accuse you of watching the female speakers with sexual desires!
According to MKO, all the cults’ members are melted in Maryam’s revolution that was anti-bourgeoisie and anti –exploitation.
Her revolution begins with “the value of women”. So men should divorce their wives so that they are not exploited by their husbands any more. If they are really sure that all members have been melted in Maryam’s revolution, why are they so worried about any mistake made by members and they try to keep them under their control?
In Ashraf there are various security units such as street patrolling, regional protection, road security, gates security, Ashraf security,… if they claim that members have been unified with Maryam’s revolution, why these too many bars?
During the past six months, I travelled through half of Iranian territory, I was never asked a question but in Camp Ashraf if you want to go outside – to the streets in front of your unit- to do some exercise or to go for a walk, you have to ask at least three superior officials for permission and also you cannot go alone, you have to go with a superior member who monitors you.
We were about one thousand and 300-400 hundred people who joined Ashraf after the war[Iran – Iraq] ended and at the time of Gulf war. Today there might be less than 300 people who daren’t leave the camp because of their fear not because of being faithful to MKO.
When I escaped the camp and went to the hotel I saw some of those members that Massoud had told about them,” they were killed while escaping “or” they are now wandering in Iraq looking for a piece of bread to eat.” I saw them, living a normal life in the hotel waiting for their return to Iran or their immigration to Europe.
A few days ago, a family called me saying that they were afraid if their brother – who is in Ashraf – returned to Iran, he would be arrested. I told them that nothing would happen to him. I am living in Iran right now.
– Mr. Dashtestani, Massoud Rajavi has been hiding since 2003. Have the members ever asked where he wass or why he disappeared?
– You can never ask such a question in camp Ashraf, because you will be seriously tortured mentally and psychologically.”What do you mean?”,”Do you mean Massoud Rajavi?”,”Your brother?”,”Why do you ask such a question?”
My best friend was Akbar Mohebi. We were captured together in 1979. He is really my intimate friend but I didn’t dare to ask him the question even when we were both alone.
Translated by Nejat Society
