The event was opened by Ella Deda’s speech. In her opening speech, she spoke about the importance of the realization of the documentary “Aldo in Iran”, and presented the theme and atmosphere of the novel “The Last Secret”.

After the ceremony, the author and director of the film, Aldo Sollullari, entered the hall amidst applause and a warm welcome from those present.

Then, Aldo Sollullari gave his speech on the experience of traveling to Iran, the process of making the documentary and the motivation for writing the novel “The Last Secret”. He also spoke about the importance of telling human experiences and untold stories that are rarely heard.

After the speech, the screening of the documentary “Aldo in Iran” began. The documentary, which dealt with the issue of immigration, the life of members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) organization and the experience of traveling to Iran of an Albanian citizen, attracted the attention and appreciation of the audience.

Premier of “Aldo in Iran”

Premier of “Aldo in Iran”

Premier of “Aldo in Iran”

Premier of “Aldo in Iran”

Premier of “Aldo in Iran”

Premier of “Aldo in Iran”

A short break took place in the middle of the program, during which interviews were conducted with Albanian participants, as well as conversations for the media and television networks.

After  the film screening, two of the Iranians present at the ceremony,  Khalil Ansarian and Hasan Shahbaz, former members of the MEK shared their thoughts and feelings on Aldo’s documentary.

At the end of the ceremony, copies of the novel “The Last Secret” were distributed to the participants and the guests participated in the special commemorative photo section.

Thanking all the guests, media and participants, Nejat Society Albania expresses the hope that the organization of such events will create opportunities for the expansion of cultural, artistic and human exchanges between peoples.

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This report presents verified information and first-hand evidence on the propaganda methods, psychological operations and cyber activities of the terrorist organization Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK). The findings are based on the sworn testimony of Mr. Behzad Alishahi, a former member of the group, delivered during the 41st session of the public trial of 104 MEK members in Tehran on October 20, 2025. Mr. Alishahi’s statements provide a clear picture of the MEK’s coordinated media and cyber network, operating from Camp Ashraf 3 in Manëz, Albania, with financial and technical support from foreign actors.

2. Methodology

The report relies on three main sources:
–  Mr. Alishahi’s official and public testimony before the Tehran court;
-Documentary and media evidence on MEK propaganda and cyber-operations activities;
– Comparative analysis of international reports, including Human Rights Watch (2005) and RAND Corporation (2009), documenting the sectarian structure and systematic human rights violations within the organization.
The data has been collected and analyzed with the aim of providing reliable material for United Nations human rights mechanisms and Special Procedures.

3. Parallel

The Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization of Iran (MEK) was founded in 1965, fusing Islamic and Marxist ideologies. During the 1970s, it carried out many assassinations, including the assassinations of American consultants to Rockwell International and Pan American Airlines.
After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the group attempted to infiltrate the new political structures, but soon turned to armed confrontation. In June 1981, the MEK launched a violent uprising that killed hundreds of civilians and government officials, including President Mohammad-Ali Rajai and Prime Minister Mohammad-Javad Bahonar.
During the 1980s, MEK leaders fled to France and then to Iraq, where they collaborated directly with the Saddam Hussein regime and carried out cross-border attacks on Iran. The 1988 “Forough Javidan” (Operation Eternal Light) offensive led to the deaths of many Iranian soldiers and civilians, including women and children, and is widely considered a war crime and an act of treason.

After the fall of Saddam in 2003, US forces took control of Camp Ashraf in Iraq, and members were gradually relocated to Camp Ashraf 3 in Albania. Many international sources—including HRW (2005) and RAND (2009)—have documented coercive practices within the MEK: forced divorces, gender segregation, psychological conditioning, and imprisonment of dissidents.

In the past decade, with the loss of its military capabilities, the MEK has transformed into a foreign-sponsored propaganda and cyber machine. Hundreds of its members now work full-time online from Camp Ashraf 3, creating fake accounts and coordinated content to project a positive image of the sect and a negative image of Iranian society and government.
Documented examples include: • Spreading fake news about prison conditions and human rights issues in Iran; • Fabricating staged videos of so-called “hunger strikes” or “public protests”; • Collaborating with Zionist and Western media to spread distorted narratives; • Manipulative use of “human rights” or “democracy” slogans to lure vulnerable individuals abroad.

4. Findings (Testimony of Mr. Behzad Alishahi)

a) Personal context
Mr. Alishahi stated that he was a member of the MEK from 1984 to 2002, working mainly in the media and television section. In 1994, he was arrested and tortured within the organization after expressing internal criticism, and was then forced to continue working under surveillance.
b) Evolution of media activities
• Initially, the MEK published only one magazine called Mojahed and occasionally burned copies in public to attract attention. • During its stay in Iraq, the group produced Persian-language television programs under Saddam Hussein, with the aim of discrediting Iran during the war. • After moving to France, the MEK received significant financial and technical assistance from French entities, expanding into satellite broadcasts and digital networks.
c) Cyber operations in Camp Ashraf 3
According to the witness, members of Ashraf 3 work online 24 hours a day using fake accounts on platforms such as X (Twitter), Facebook and Telegram. The main objectives are: • Cleansing the image of past crimes and violence; • Historical revisionism and distortion of facts; • Recruiting supporters under the deceptive label of “human rights” or “pro-democracy”; • Artificially amplifying popularity through coordinated hashtags such as #FreeIran and #IranProtests.
d) Cooperation with foreign media and governments
Mr. Alishahi testified that several Western and regional media outlets cooperate with the MEK, often through paid publications or political influence operations. He cited the active support of France, Germany and Israel, which often use the MEK’s media infrastructure to spread anti-Iranian disinformation.
e) Declining public influence
He further stated that since the start of public trials in Iran exposing the MEK’s crimes, the group’s credibility in Europe has declined significantly. Events that once attracted hundreds of participants in Belgium now gather only a few attendees.

5. International Legal Framework

MEK propaganda and cyber operations clearly violate international law, including: • Articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which prohibit incitement to hatred and violence;
• The International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (1999); • UN Security Council Resolution 2396 (2017) on the prevention of the terrorist use of information and communication technologies; • The Budapest Convention on Cybercrime (2001), binding on European states, including Albania.
According to these instruments, any facilitation or tolerance of terrorist information operations creates state responsibility for the host state.

6. Analysis

The evidence and relevant evidence demonstrate that the MEK has evolved from an armed militant group into a structured information warfare apparatus. Today, it operates as a foreign-sponsored propaganda and intelligence agency engaged in systematic disinformation aimed at societal destabilization, delegitimization of Iranian institutions, and manipulation of international perception. Such activities constitute a form of non-state extremism and fall within the framework of international counterterrorism law.

7. Conclusions and Recommendations

Conclusions

• The MEK’s media and cyber divisions function as a coordinated information arm serving the political interests of foreign powers; • The group exploits the principle of freedom of expression in Europe to spread hate speech, falsified reports, and incitement against the Iranian nation; • The Government of Albania has an obligation to ensure that its territory is not used for terrorist cyber operations.
Recommendations
– The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression should jointly investigate the MEK’s propaganda and cyber activities;
– The Government of Albania should exercise effective oversight over Camp Ashraf 3 and limit any misuse of its digital infrastructure for hostile operations;
– UN Member States should conduct transparent reviews of the financial and media networks linked to the MEK;
– The United Nations Office for Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) should study the MEK’s cyber network as a case of extreme non-state information warfare;
– The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) should examine the financial flows linked to the MEK’s online propaganda and its affiliated NGOs.

Gazeta Impakt – Translated by Nejat Society

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The demonstration, which took place right in front of the municipality of Durres lasted for an hour. Albanian mothers who are members of Nejat Society Albania distributed flyers to the public to enlighten them about the MEK’s inhumane actions, including not allowing mothers to visit their loved ones, not even receiving letters, opposing the Red Cross in this regard.
The flyers read: “Dear people of Durres! Unfortunately, the group that has occupied part of your city has ruthlessly deprived all its members of basic human rights. One of these rights is the right to contact their families. We have a large number of letters that need to be delivered to them. Please help us in this noble and blessed work by kindly and vigilantly transferring these paper butterflies between families and their loved ones in the MEK, because family is the most precious thing in the world.”

During the rally, Nejat Society Albania also read a statement addressing the Albanian government:
“The honorable Albanian government,
We, former members of the MEK, sympathetically declare that the organization we were once members of is far from human rights, democracy, and humanity. For this reason, its presence in every country has always been accompanied by tension. The group has only been able to cooperate and accompany with a dictatorial host like Saddam Hussein.”

Nejat Society Albania warned the Albanian government and citizens that The MEK’s independent presence in Albania running a dangerous group independently from the Albanian government and isolated from the Albanian society with its own laws is certainly a terrible blow to the freedoms stipulated in Albanian laws.

The demonstrators demanded the government to treat the MEK members like all refugees in all European countries so that their trapped members enjoy the minimum freedoms of a human being today. According to them, the MEK’s independent and controlled base inside Albania is not only meaningless and annoying, but also contrary to the interests of the government and people of Albania.

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TEHRAN – The human heart craves family. It’s crucial for our well-being, providing warmth, security, and a sense of belonging. But for a terrorist group that has isolated over 2000 people in a cloistered community at the heart of Europe, familial bonds are not a source of strength, but a threat to obedience.

Within the Ashraf camp in Albania, all that matters is how members serve the Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) leadership. Family is considered a distraction from the directives of the leaders. The group ensured this belief was engraved in the hearts and minds of its members during the 1990s and 2000s by forcing all couples in the original Ashraf camp in Iraq to divorce and then sending their children away. At least 800 children were separated from their parents and relocated to Europe, without any subsequent reunification.

The MEK has also actively worked to prevent its members’ remaining family members in Iran from contacting those inside the camp. In there, MEK individuals do not have access to phones, internet, or anything else that could help them connect to their loved ones back in Iran. When they do use phones or any other device that could act as a means of communication, they are never unfettered; their every move is monitored by a higher-ranking member of the organization, according to Ebrahim Khodabandeh, a former MEK member and current CEO of the Nejat Association, a Tehran-based entity with offices across Iran and Europe that assists families seeking contact with loved ones in the MEK.

“As a former member of the terror group, I know it’s impossible for those in the Ashraf camp to contact their loved ones,” he explained. “That’s assuming they’ve even overcome the organization’s brainwashing, which tells them their families despise them and would readily hand them over to Iranian forces.” He added, “But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Families across Iran desperately seek to connect with their loved ones in the Ashraf camp. For the past two decades, I’ve received calls every day from people crying and begging me to help them find a sister, brother, father, mother, son, or daughter they haven’t heard from in years.”

Khodabandeh explained that the hopes of these families were often simple; most wanted nothing more than to know if the person who left them years ago was still alive. “The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) should be the organization making this possible,” he declared. “It is with great regret that I must say they have failed to provide adequate assistance in this regard.”

The Red Cross has a mandate and a long history of helping family members find their loved ones, especially in situations of armed conflict, other situations of violence, natural disasters, and migration. This work is a core part of their humanitarian mission and is known as Restoring Family Links (RFL).

In his remarks to the Tehran Times, Khodabandeh noted that he was aware of cases where the Red Cross delivered letters from Al-Qaeda members to their families in Saudi Arabia, which made their failure in assisting the families of MEK members all the more shocking.

“I’ve lost count of the times I’ve spoken to ICRC officials in Iran, Albania, and Geneva, where their headquarters are,” he stated. “I also write to them every year on World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, May 8. Yet, I’ve never received a satisfactory explanation as to why we haven’t been able to connect these people with their family members in the Ashraf camp. They have stopped responding to me altogether in recent years.”

The Ashraf camp in Albania functions as a state within a state. Previously, aid workers attempting to deliver letters from family members in Iran or other countries were turned away at the gate and denied any contact with MEK members. “The ICRC said the organization told them the people we were trying to reach didn’t want the letters,” Khodabandeh recounted. “When I pressed them, asking how they could possibly justify that flimsy excuse, they had nothing to tell me.”

The MEK’s treatment of its members not only violates international legal standards, including UN and humanitarian laws, but also runs afoul of the Constitution of Albania. Specifically, the group’s practices within Camp Ashraf violate Articles 16, 17, 18, 19, and 21, which guarantee rights such as personal freedom and security, inviolability of domicile, freedom of expression, freedom of association, and access to information.

“The ICRC must contact the Albanian government and facilitate contact through the authorities there. I don’t understand why they aren’t assisting us with this. All I know is that based on their own mandates, it is their responsibility,” The CEO of the Nejat Association stated. “I am writing to the ICRC again this year on May 8th. I hope that they write back to me, and at least offer explanations as to why they are unable to fulfill their mandate.”

Another body that appears to be falling short on its responsibilities when it comes to the dire situation in the Ashraf Camp is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The entity recognized MEK members as refugees when they were stationed in Iraq, which obliges UNHCR workers to now personally meet with them in Albania, and ensure that these members enjoy basic human rights, including the right to life, liberty, and security of person; freedom of movement; freedom of religion; freedom of expression; and the right to education.

The Tehran Times understands that the actions of European states regarding terrorism have influenced organizations like the ICRC and the UNHCR. The West tends to categorize terrorists into ‘bad’ and ‘good’ groups. Due to its anti-Iran activities, the MEK is considered a ‘good’ terrorist organization by the West, according to information obtained by the Tehran Times. Consequently, aid organizations are often less likely to advocate for the rights of individuals linked to the MEK or investigate the group’s human rights violations.

By Sheida Sabzehvari

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CRS PRODUCT (LIBRARY OF CONGRESS)
CRS Product Type: Reports
Publication Date: 02/25/2025
Author: Thomas, Clayton

Summary

The Mojahedin-e-Khalq or MEK (also known as the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, or PMOI) is an exiled Iranian opposition group. This report provides background on the group, including its origins, its 1997 designation by the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), its 2012 delisting as an FTO, and other issues.

Background

The MEK was founded in Iran in the early 1960s to oppose the government of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran. The group’s foundational ideology has been described by one historian as “a combination of Islam and Marxism.”1 Alongside and in periodic collaboration with other opposition groups of various ideological backgrounds, the MEK in the 1960s and 1970s sought the overthrow of the then-U.S.-backed Shah through guerilla attacks against the Iranian government and other targets. Some of these attacks killed U.S. military personnel stationed in Iran according to a 1994 congressionally mandated State Department report.2 The MEK participated in the 1979 Iranian Revolution and, after the fall of the Shah, “supported the takeover of the U.S. embassy, and opposed the release of American hostages” according to the 1994 State Department report.3 The MEK has denied involvement in the 1979 embassy seizure and other attacks on Americans in Iran.4

In the early 1980s, the MEK fell out with the newly established Islamic Republic led by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and launched attacks against it (including a 1981 bombing that killed Iran’s chief justice and dozens of other officials); in response, the government detained and “indiscriminately” executed thousands of MEK supporters.5 MEK leader Massoud Rajavi and other MEK figures fled to France in 1981 as the crackdown intensified and founded the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) purporting to act as a government-in-exile. In 1985, Rajavi married Maryam Qajar-Azodanlu, who changed her name to Maryam Rajavi and became secretary-general of the MEK and the “President-Elect” of the NCRI. The Rajavis and other MEK members left France in 1986 for Iraq, where the MEK aided the government of Saddam Hussein in its war against Iran.6 Massoud Rajavi has reportedly not been seen in public since 2003 and his whereabouts are unknown; some analysts speculate that he is dead.7 According to the State Department report mentioned above, NCRI “disintegrated in the 1980s” as various partners “left the organization because of their objections to Rajavi’s dictatorial methods and his unilateral decision to ally with Iraq.”8

After the 1988 conclusion of the Iran-Iraq War, the MEK remained in Iraq, which they continued to use as a base for attacks both in Iran and abroad. Such attacks included coordinated assaults against Iranian diplomatic installations in 11 countries (including Iran’s Mission to the United Nations in New York) in April 1992, and the April 1999 assassination of the deputy chief of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff.

Listing as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO)

In October 1997, the State Department made the first designations pursuant to Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (as added by Section 302 of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996, AEDPA, P.L. 104-132), which authorizes the Secretary of State to designate as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) any group that engages in terrorist activity that threatens U.S. national security.9 The State Department announced the designation of 30 groups as FTOs, including the MEK.10 An October 1997 media report on the designations, citing an unnamed senior Clinton Administration official, stated that “inclusion of the [MEK] was intended as a goodwill gesture to Tehran and its newly elected moderate president, Mohammad Khatami,”11 a quote that has since featured prominently in MEK efforts to portray the designation as baseless and politically motivated.12 A 1999 State Department report announcing the redesignation of most of the original designees (including the MEK) featured several frequently asked questions, including, “Why was the MEK designated?” The report answered:

We have sufficient grounds for concluding that they are a terrorist organization and continue to engage in terrorist violence. The designation is based on activities much more recent than the takeover of our embassy.

Additionally, directing terrorism against a government or entity with whom we have differences does not exclude an organization from designation as an FTO.

MEK is designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization because of the acts they commit, not who they act against and not who they are.13

In 1999, the State Department also added “National Council of Resistance” and NCR as aliases of the MEK.14

In the 2011 Country Reports on Terrorism (the last in which the MEK was included as an FTO), the State Department reported the group had 5,000-10,000 members worldwide, with large contingents in Paris and other European capitals, and that the NCRI (“the MEK’s political arm”) had “a global support network with active lobbying and propaganda efforts in major Western capitals. NCRI also has a well-developed media communications strategy.”15 That report also stated, “Before Operation Iraqi Freedom began in 2003, the MEK received all of its military assistance and most of its financial support from Saddam Hussein. The fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime has led the MEK increasingly to rely on front organizations to solicit contributions from expatriate Iranian communities.”16

Delisting as an FTO

In the late 2000s, the MEK mounted a legal and advocacy campaign in the United Kingdom and Europe to seek delisting as a terrorist group; the group was delisted as a terrorist organization by the United Kingdom in 2008 and the European Union in 2009.17 Seeking to capitalize on that momentum, the MEK petitioned the U.S. State Department to revoke its FTO designation in 2008, pursuant to AEDPA. In January 2009, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice denied the petition but noted in a document provided to the MEK that “the continued designation of the MEK should be reexamined by the Secretary of State in the next two years even if the MEK does not file a petition for revocation,” given the MEK’s claims to have renounced terrorism.18

In July 2010, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia directed the Secretary to review the designation and to “provide the PMOI the opportunity to review and rebut the unclassified portions of the record on which she relied” in keeping the group on the FTO list.19 That court ruled again in June 2012 that the Secretary’s “delay in acting on PMOI’s petition for revocation is egregious” and ordered the Secretary to deny or grant the petition within four months.20

The MEK complemented its legal efforts with an advocacy campaign in Congress focused on the status of the group’s members in Iraq.21 MEK members in Iraq relinquished weapons to U.S. forces in Iraq in 2003 and remained concentrated largely at a location known as Camp Ashraf. In 2004, then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld designated MEK members as “protected persons” under the Fourth Geneva Convention and U.S.-led coalition forces maintained security at the camp.22 U.S. forces handed security responsibility for the camp to the elected Iraqi government in 2008. As U.S. forces withdrew additional forces from Iraq in 2009, Iraqi government forces asserted greater security control over Camp Ashraf, and conducted operations inside the camp resulting in the deaths and injuries of some MEK camp residents. Some House Members introduced or cosponsored resolutions calling for protections and humanitarian assistance to Camp Ashraf residents (e.g. H.Res. 704, 111th Congress; and, H.Res. 231 and H.Res. 332, 112th Congress). Other Members introduced or cosponsored a resolution calling for the MEK’s delisting as an FTO (H.Res. 60, 112th Congress).

On September 28, 2012, the State Department announced the MEK’s delisting as an FTO. In the announcement, the Department said

With today’s actions, the Department does not overlook or forget the MEK’s past acts of terrorism, including its involvement in the killing of U.S. citizens in Iran in the 1970s and an attack on U.S. soil in 1992. The Department also has serious concerns about the MEK as an organization, particularly with regard to allegations of abuse committed against its own members. The Secretary’s decision today took into account the MEK’s public renunciation of violence, the absence of confirmed acts of terrorism by the MEK for more than a decade, and their cooperation in the peaceful closure of Camp Ashraf, their historic paramilitary base.23

In 2013, the MEK left Iraq for Albania, where the group remains at a site called Camp Ashraf-3 and reportedly has periodically faced threats from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).24 The U.S. government provided some diplomatic and financial support for the MEK’s move to Albania and the Albanian government’s role in hosting the group.25 In June 2023, Albanian police reportedly raided the MEK camp as part of an investigation into “unsanctioned political activities;” the MEK claimed one of its members was killed and dozens injured in the raid.26

Some Members of Congress have remained engaged in MEK-related issues. In the 118th Congress, H.Res. 100, which would have expressed “support for the Iranian people’s desire for a democratic, secular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran,” condemned “violations of human rights and state-sponsored terrorism by the Iranian Government,” and referenced “opposition leader Mrs. Maryam Rajavi,” had 243 cosponsors. H.Res. 1148, which would have expressed the House of Representatives’ support for Rajavi’s “Ten-Point Plan for the Future of Iran,” had 227 cosponsors.27 In December 2023, NCRI asserted that Members of Congress had formed a “Congressional ASHRAF Protection and Rights Advocacy Caucus” and published what NCRI described as the caucus’s ‘mission statement,’ ‘statement of purpose,’ and ‘by-laws.’28 In a January 2025 “Strategic Framework,” the NCRI-aligned Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC, see below) called for the United States government to “formally recognize” NCRI as a “parliament in exile.”29

Role in Iran

As an exiled opposition group, the MEK plays no role in the authoritarian political system of the Islamic Republic. Given the Iranian government’s repressive approach to civil liberties and the media, there is not reliable information on the MEK’s activities or support within Iran. The MEK claims to be a focal point for broad-based opposition to the Iranian government.30 To bolster the group’s claims that it has support within Iran, the MEK has argued that it has received information from domestic sources on the government’s nuclear program and crackdowns on public protests.31 Limited public opinion polling suggests the group may not have broad popular support in Iran or within the Iranian-American diaspora.32 Statements from Iranian government officials as recently as January 2025, as well as alleged Iranian operations against both the MEK and the Albanian government, suggest that Tehran continues to view the MEK as a threat.33 The January 2025 OIAC “Strategic Framework” asserts that MEK “Iranian Resistance Units” operate covertly in Iran, organizing protests and strikes.34

In a 2022 statement to Foreign Policy, a State Department spokesperson was quoted as saying that “the United States does not see the MEK as a viable democratic opposition movement that is representative of the Iranian people.”35 The spokesperson also reportedly relayed that the State Department “continues to have serious concerns about the MEK as an organization, including allegations of abuse committed against its own members.”36 The group has long faced accusations that it holds members against their will and commits torture—allegations the group denies.37

Relationships with Other Iran-Related Groups in the United States

A number of U.S.-based advocacy groups seek to represent the views and interests of Iranian Americans. While the groups voice support for a free and democratic Iran, they often disagree strongly on U.S. policy approaches. Of these groups, the Organization of Iranian-American Communities (OIAC) appears to be closest to the MEK. OIAC materials and speakers regularly promote Maryam Rajavi, who has spoken (via video) at OIAC events, including a December 2024 OIAC briefing for congressional staff reportedly attended by several Senators and former U.S. military officials.38 OIAC has denounced Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former Shah and so-called “crown prince” whom other advocacy groups (such as the National Union for Democracy in Iran, NUFDI) have promoted.39

Footnotes
1. Ervand Abrahamian, The Iranian Mojahedin (Yale University Press, 1992), p. 92.
2. U.S. Department of State, Report on the People’s Mojahedin of Iran, October 28, 1994. The report states that the MEK “are known to have assassinated” six Americans, including three U.S. military personnel, between 1973 and 1976. The report was mandated by Section 523 of the FY1994-1995 Foreign Relations Authorization Act (P.L. 103-236) and is at http://iran.org/news/1994_10-State-Dept-MEK-report.htm.
3. U.S. Department of State, Report on the People’s Mojahedin of Iran.
4. See National Council of Resistance of Iran, U.S. Representative Office, FARA filing at https://efile.fara.gov/docs/6171-Informational-Materials-20170110-1.pdf.
5.U.S. Department of State, Report on the People’s Mojahedin of Iran.
6. Ibid.
7. Jonathan Masters, “Mujahadeen-e-Khalq (MEK),” Council on Foreign Relations, July 28, 2014. In a 2020 interview, an MEK spokesperson reportedly said, “We can’t talk about it” when asked about Massoud Rajavi’s whereabouts. Patrick Kingsley, “Highly secretive Iranian rebels are holed up in Albania. They gave us a tour,” New York Times, February 16, 2020.
8. U.S. Department of State, Report on the People’s Mojahedin of Iran.
9. 8 U.S.C. §1189. For more, see CRS In Focus IF10613, The Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) List, by Liana W. Rosen. For follow-up, congressional offices may contact Clayton Thomas.
10. Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Public Notice 2612, 62 Federal Register 52650, October 8, 1997.
11. Norman Kempster, “U.S. designates 30 groups as terrorists,” Los Angeles Times, October 9, 1997.
12. See, for example, “The resilient MEK: Rebuilding the Iranian Resistance in exile,” PMOI/MEK, September 8, 2021.
13. U.S. Department of State, 1999 Report Index, October 8, 1999, at https://2001-2009.state.gov/s/ct/rls/rpt/fto/2682.htm.
14. Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, Public Notice 3130, 64 Federal Register 55112, October 8, 1999.
15. U.S. Department of State, Country Reports on Terrorism 2011, July 2012, at https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2011/195553.htm. For more information on the MEK’s reliance on Iranian diaspora communities as a financial support system, see Mark Edmond Clark, “An Analysis of the Role of the Iranian Diaspora in the Financial Support System of the Mujahedin-e Khalq,” in Terrornomics, ed. Sean S. Costigan and David Gold (London: Routledge, 2007), pp. 65-76.
16. Ibid.
17. For an account of the MEK’s legal campaign in the United Kingdom and European Union, including references to primary sources, see Ben Smith, “The People’s Mujahiddeen of Iran (PMOI),” UK House of Commons Library, Briefing Paper Number CBP 5020, March 7, 2016, pp. 9-12.
18. People’s Mojahedin Organization v. United States Department of State, 613 F.3d 220 (D.C. Cir. 2010).
19. Ibid.
20. In re People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, 680 F.3d 832 (D.C. Cir. 2012).
21. Ali Gharib and Eli Clifton, “Long march of the yellow jackets: how a one-time terrorist group prevailed on Capitol Hill,” Intercept, February 26, 2015; Ali Harb, “How Iranian MEK went from US terror list to halls of Congress,” Middle East Eye, July 17, 2019.
22. Jeremiah Goulka et al., The Mujahedin-e Khalq in Iraq: A Policy Conundrum, RAND National Defense Research Institute, July 28, 2009.
23. U.S. Department of State, Delisting of the Mujahdin-e Khalq, September 28, 2012, at https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2012/09/198443.htm.
24. Kingsley, “Highly secretive Iranian rebels”; Hollie McKay, “Inside the Albanian compound of an exiled Iranian opposition group,” Coffee or Die Magazine, September 20, 2022; and, Harun Karcic, “How Albania Ended Up in Iran’s Cyber Crosshairs,” Foreign Policy, November 8, 2022.
25. Pamela Dockins, “US praises Albania for MEK resettlement,” VOA, February 14, 2016; U.S. Department of State, Remarks Before the Daily Press Briefing, September 12, 2016.
26. Maziar Motamedi, “Why was this Iran dissident group raided in Europe?” Al Jazeera, June 21, 2023.
27. Rajavi’s Ten-Point Plan, which includes calls for “a republic founded on universal suffrage and pluralism,” “separation of religion and state,” and “complete gender equality,” is available at https://www.ncr-iran.org/en/maryam-rajavis-ten-point-plan-for-future-iran/.
28. “Congressional caucus spearheads global initiative to ensure safety and rights of Iranian dissidents in Ashraf-3,” National Council of Resistance of Iran, December 21, 2023. See also Matthew Petti, “Congress forms caucus to aid Iranian ex-terror group,” Responsible Statecraft, January 16, 2024. As of December 2024, the caucus did not appear on the Committee on House Administration’s list of Congressional Member Organizations (CMOs) in the 118th Congress. As of February 2025, the caucus does not appear on the CMO list for the 119th Congress. See CMO lists at https://cha.house.gov/congressional-member-and-staff-organizations.
29. “Strategic framework for U.S. policy on Iran: Supporting regime change, engaging viable alternative, and facilitating transition,” Organization of Iranian-American Communities, January 15, 2025. OIAC’s website says the group “supports the 10-point plans by Mrs. Maryam Rajavi for a democratic Iran.” See https://oiac.org/about/.
30. See, for example, Matin Karim, “The Resistance Units: The frontline of the fight for freedom in Iran,” PMOI, February 17, 2025.
31. “About the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK),” PMOI website, at https://english.mojahedin.org/about-the-peoples-mojahedin-organization-of-iran-pmoi-mek/.
32. Nancy Gallagher, Ebrahim Mohseni, and Clay Ramsey, “Iranian public opinion at the start of the Raisi Administration: a public opinion study,” University of Maryland Center for International and Security Studies, September 2021; Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans, National Public Opinion Survey of the Iranian American Community 2023, February 2023.
33. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, “Iranian state actors conduct cyber operations against the government of Albania,” September 23, 2022; Gerta Zaimi, “Iran’s Balkan front: the roots and consequences of Iranian cyberattacks against Albania,” Middle East Institute, December 22, 2022; “Killing of senior Iranian judges puts spotlight on exiled opposition group,” Amwaj.media, January 20, 2025.
34. “Strategic framework for U.S. policy on Iran: Supporting regime change, engaging viable alternative, and facilitating transition,” Organization of Iranian-American Communities, January 15, 2025.
35. Harun Karcic, “How Albania ended up in Iran’s cyber crosshairs,” Foreign Policy, November 8, 2022.
36. Ibid.
37. No Exit: Human Rights Abuses Inside the MKO Camps, Human Rights Watch, May 18, 2005; Kingsley, “Highly secretive Iranian rebels”; Murtaza Hussain and Matthew Cole, “Defectors tell of torture and forced sterilization in militant Iranian cult,” Intercept, March 22, 2020.
38. “A bipartisan conference in the U.S Senate examined the path to a free democratic Iran,” Organization of Iranian American Communities, December 14, 2024.
39. OIAC, “Reza Pahlavi, son of overthrown shah, is no advocate for a democratic Iran,” May 10, 2023.

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I congratulate you on the arrival of the year 2025, I wish it to be a year full of goodness and blessings for all of you.

We also hope that the year 2025 will be the year of the connection of Iranian families with their loved ones trapped in the People’s Mujahedin Organization camp in Manez and the realization of the fundamental rights of the current members of this organization and that good and new events will take place in this year.

I take the opportunity to review some of the important activities carried out by Nejat Society Albania in 2024

The documentary film “Mother, Love, Separation”, which is the result of our meeting with several mothers grieving due to distance and separation from their children, was produced and screened this year under the direction of Aldo Sollulari, Director of the Albanian Rescue Media. Society. This very strong and influential documentary expresses our problem well and we pledged by producing this documentary that we will continue our struggle until we achieve our goal.

During this year, many television interviews were conducted on prominent Albanian channels to clarify the nature of the MEK and the demands of families for human rights.

In this regard, many articles, discussions and online conferences were also produced, in addition to the fact that members of Nejat Society Albania were very active on social networks in cyberspace.

Online programs of meetings and talks with Nejat Society inside Iran and talks with families to resolve their problems with MEK were organized, which were very well received by the suffering families.

A public rally was held in Tirana to demand human rights for the residents of the Manez camp, as well as conferences in various cities, such as Shkodër, Elbasan, along with a photo and cartoon exhibition and a documentary screening, as well as meetings and discussions with local personalities were held.

Three books have been written by three Albanian authors and one book has been translated from Persian into Albanian, which is expected to be published, presented and distributed in the new year.

I participated in a revealing conference in Italy and met and talked with Italian personalities, which caused a hysterical reaction from the MEK and false accusations, which have been proven to be the opposite in practice. Our response to the lies spread by the leaders of the MEK is that we continue our work to protect the rights of members who are under pressure but are afraid to voice their demands.

The members and officials of the Albanian Salvation Association pledge to mothers who want to see their children and families who want to connect with their loved ones, to continue their journey in the new year more than before and with double energy.

Although we know that the MEK wants to close our association and is hostile to us in every way, we also know that all this is happening because we are telling the truths that many people do not know. We raise the voice of families who have been deprived of the right to communicate with their loved ones.

We want the people imprisoned in the MEK camp in Manez to have the right to self-determination and return to normal life and real freedom.

Here I should thank all members Nejat Society Albania for their tireless efforts despite all the difficulties and shortcomings. Although these people are often threatened or accused by the leaders of the People’s Mujahedin organization, they still show the truth of their lives and the reality within this organization.

Also, on behalf of all the members of Nejat Society Albania, I would like to appreciate the efforts of Mr. Ebrahim Khodabandeh, the CEO of Nejat Society in Iran, for leading our efforts to free the members trapped in the MEK. I also want to thank all mothers and families who have supported us in these years and I hope that in the end we will all succeed.

Once again, I congratulate everyone on the new year and wish you happiness and prosperity.

Thank you and respect

President of Nejat Society Albania

Erisa Idrizi

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To: Ebrahim Khodabandeh, the best boss in the world,
Happy New Year 2025!
I am beyond grateful to have you, not only as a boss but as a mentor, a leader, and a friend.
Your guidance, wisdom, and unwavering support have shaped so much of my journey.
You inspire those around you with your dedication, vision, and kindness.
May this new year bring you continued success, happiness, and all the achievements you deserve.
Thank you for being the incredible leader you are.
With great respect and appreciation,
Aldo Sulollari

Response of the CEO of the Nejat Society to Aldo Sulollari

Mr. Aldo Sulollari, Media Director of the Nejat Society of Albania
I congratulate you and your esteemed family, especially your dear mother, who has always supported the Nejat Society of Albania and understands the pain and suffering of Iranian mothers who have been separated from their children in the Manz camp, on the New Year, and I hope that the new year will be a year full of blessings and success.
I have heard many times from families that they are grateful to God that people like you and your family are friends and helpers of the Nejat Society of Albania and sincerely work towards the goals of the Nejat Society and bear the problems arising from this type of activity.
In the last conference call we had, we reviewed many plans together, which I hope we will carry forward one by one in the coming year with the help of God and the efforts of you, the members of the Nejat Society of Albania and the support of families in Iran.
What you wrote in your message was only your kindness and grace for me, otherwise I do not consider myself worthy of these definitions.
Thank you very much.
Good luck
Ebrahim Khodabandeh

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Among the large number of people present in the theater, some prominent religious, legal, social, cultural, artistic, administrative and academic personalities of Albania were seen. A number of personalities had also sent messages to the conference.

RTSh, Info TV, Star Plus Digital, Tirana One, AC TV America, Syri TV were the Albanian TV channels that covered the event conducting reports and interviews.

After the movie, Erisa Rahimi the head of Nejat Society Albania addressed the audience who were truly impressed by the story of the sufferings of the mothers of members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) that is revealed in the film.
“We must all become one voice so that we can solve the human rights problem of the people trapped in the MEK’s camp in Manz,” Erisa Rahimi said. “We are not alone now and we have you in every city who help us to enable these mothers to connect with their children after decades of separation.”

Mother, Love, Separation” was screened in Elbasan, Albania

Rahimi also spoke about the imprisonment of the MEK members in Manz and the medieval restrictions in the camp under the rule of the group leaders. She asked the audience to spread the message of the film and the message of Nejat Society in the virtual space and among their friends and acquaintances so that it would reach the statesmen of Albania and make them think about the human rights violations that take place in the MEK’s camp, in Europe in the 21st century.

Introducing Nejat Society Albania and its missions, she asked her country-fellow men to help the Society in the good work it is doing. She explained that the ambassadors of Nejat Society, especially among the youth, are messengers of the community everywhere.

Mother, Love, Separation” was screened in Elbasan, Albania

Then Aldo Sollulari, media director of Nejat Society Albania and the director of the documentary, spoke. After introducing the documentary and explaining his motivation for making it, he explained the terrorist crimes of the MEK and considered the presence of this organization in Albania as a threat to the national security of his country.
Sarfaraz Rahimi former member of the MEK gave a speech and shared his bitter experiences with the MEK in Iraq and Albania. He informed the listeners of the numerous examples of violations of basic human rights that he himself witnessed in the MEK.

Klea Xhepi, who is a young and committed nurse and a medical student and the ambassador of the Nejat Society, gave a speech and asked for help from everyone to enable the connection of these painful and expectant mothers with their loved ones.

Angjela Doçi, was another permanent supporter of Nejat Society Albania, who gave a speech at the event. She is the head of the organization of students supporting the Nejat Society, who had been stationed in Al-Basan since the previous day and were active in promoting and organizing the program.

Dochi praised the work and activities of members of Nejat Society Albania and explained about the organization of students supporting the society and invited everyone to join their charitable activity.

There were other Albanian figures who attended the event including Arbana Perihana, an Albanian actress living in Elbasan, who was among the audience and spontaneously asked to express her feelings in a few sentences. Also, the representative of Mufti ( spiritual leader of Bektashi Shiites) of Elbasan in and the head of Elbasan youth organization was there.

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Yesterday, my social media manager reported to me that the Kristal Media; a respected media for the Albanian public from 2019 until now on the eve of 2025, has received cyber-attacks from the Mujahedin Organization.

Media CTV was initially founded simply with social networks where it reached thousands of views, in videos and published articles. In 2020, it was crowned with an international web with the status ‘.com’ because it was followed all over the world. The format of this platform was informative, entertaining, curious and educational.

In my involvement as a spokesperson in the Nejat association, I shared the dark hidden facts about the Mujahedin Organization. The manager of my media with the initials A.C, reports to me that my media was first hacked, in the period before the state police made checks in the MEK prison premises. At that time, I appeared on television to call for the freedom of the Mujahideen, and at that moment the Web of my media was hacked with Russian letters. Every news was deleted, and every material was made in Russian, as there are links with the Russian programs, the programs that the Mujahideen use, and they know it very well.

They do not understand that I managed to identify that the attacks came from Manëza, blocking my Domain and my server in Germany, of my CTV portal. CTV will work hard to bring to attention the dark truth of the MEK and I cannot close my mouth to show their murders, their terror, and their criminal acts. BEWARE OF ME AND THE TRUTHS I KNOW!

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Iraq during the Saddam Hussein era

Torabi starts from 2001, when after holding meetings for all organizational levels, it became almost impossible to leave Camp Ashraf. According to Torabi, in these meetings, Massoud Rajavi publicly announced that we will not send anyone abroad from now on.

This former child soldier of the MEK describes the 2001 meetings as “very violent” and “anti-human” and “literally brutal”. According to Torabi, the word “Brutal” is the best adjective to describe the meetings. According to Masoud Rajavi’s new instructions, if a person wanted to leave the organization, he should first confess to the camera that he would not fight any more, and secondly, he should announce his resignation in a meeting before the crowd, so he would be subjected to the most brutal attacks. Curses, insults, spitting and even beatings from the brutalized comrades, and if he did not regret leaving the organization during these stressful and oppressive stages and resisted all the attacks, he would have to stay in a section called the exit for 2 years, until his alleged information would be burned and eventually he would be left at the border of Iran and Iraq.

According to Mohammad Reza Torabi, “leaving the MEK is the strictest red line” and if a person announced his intention to leave, all tasks would be shut down in order to convince the person to stay.

Due to such difficult conditions, some members of the group tried to escape from Ashraf camp. Ashraf was a large piece of land surrounded by barbed wire, guard towers and iron gates, in the bareness of the Iraqi deserts, which increases the probability of failure of escape plans. Mohammad Reza Torabi says that people who were caught while fleeing were punished with imprisonment and torture for at least six months.

Iraq after the American invasion

In 2003, after the American invasion of Iraq and the subsequent overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the disarmament of the MEK, the American forces took over the protection of Camp Ashraf. According to Torabi’s testimony, the American forces conducted short interviews with each and every member of the camp in the tents they had built around Ashraf, but the intensity of the brainwashing was so excessive that most of the members did not share their willingness to leave, with the Americans. Torabi says that people believed that they were the forces of imperialism and did not tell anything to them for fear of saying the wrong thing.

According to Torabi, since the MEK was under American supervision at that time, they could no longer torture people. At that time, people who wanted to leave the establishment could go to the American temporary settlement camp known as TIPF and stay there for a few years until the conditions for transfer to Iran or a third country were provided for them.
But inside the organization, as Mohammad Reza remembers, the leaders used to tell scary stories about TIPF to people in order to reduce the desire to leave their cult.

The first months in Albania

According to Mohammad Reza, Masoud Rajavi was determined to stay in Iraq, even before 2010, the United Nations proposed a plan based on which all members of the MEK would be transferred to Poland, but Rajavi’s strategy was to stay in Iraq.

Torabi even remembers that Abrishamchi spoke in the meetings about the possibility of Kurdish uprising and Barzani’s arming, followed by the arming of the MEK

But in 2016, under the pressure of the Iraqi government and the support of the United States, the MEK were completely transferred from Iraq to Albania, while Rajavi preferred that people stay in Iraq and more forces were killed in the attacks on Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty.

Torabi talks about the atmosphere created after entering Albania: in a short time after entering Albania, when the organizational structure of the group had lost its cohesion, several hundred people were able to leave. Mohammad Reza explains why he did not leave the Cult of Rajavi in those days: “For someone like me, who was brainwashed by Masoud Rajavi, life outside the Mujahideen Khalq was unimaginable.”

Today in Albania

One year after moving to Albania, the leaders of the MEK rented the current location of the group in the village of Manez in the north of Tirana and started the construction of their new stronghold called Ashraf 3. Once again, under the pretext of security issues, they built a fence and gate around their camp, and this time they added CCTV cameras to the protection layer of their camp.

Nevertheless, according to Torabi, the conditions of the members today are not as difficult as the conditions prevailing in Iraq, but people are either so old that they no longer have the motivation to leave and see themselves too old to build an independent life outside the group, or in terms of personality and spirit not everyone has the capacity to endure two years of isolation and repression before being fired, in the exit department of the organization.

Mohammad Reza Torabi says: Imagine living in a place where if you ask to leave, everyone will consider you as a traitor! According to them, the worst sin is to leave the MEK. In this situation, anyone who leaves this cult is really bravely making the most difficult decision of his life.

Mazda Parsi

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