nejat newsletter - issue 19

8/14/2019 Nejat Newsletter - ISSUE 19

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I raqi Mini stry of Human Rights: NGO shouldfacilitate safe MKO exit from I raq

Iran-Interlink,January 27, 2008

As concerted movesare getting underwayin Iraq to deal withthe foreign terroristorganisation Mojahe-din-e Khalq in thatc o u n t r y , I r a n -

Interlink was invitedto attend a meetingat the Ministry of Hu-man Rights in Iraqtoday. In a visit toIraq this weekend,Massoud Khoda-bandeh from Iran-Interlink met withsenior officials at theMinistry to talk aboutthe future of the Ira-nian Mojahedin-eKhalq cult in thatcountry.

During the three hourmeeting, MassoudKhodabandeh ex-pressed concern forthe human rightssituation of peopleinvolved in the Moja-hedin cult. TheAmerican Forces inIraq have been givennotice to evacuateCamp Ashraf and itssurrounds before theland is returned to itsrightful owner by acourt. This meansthat over 3,000 peo-ple must be urgentlyre-located. AmericanMilitary Police havealready begun toempty the TemporaryInternational Pres-ence Facility (TIPF)which had been es-tablished adjacent toCamp Ashraf to houseindividuals wishing to

dissociate from theterrorist group.Around 800 formerMKO members havebeen processedthrough TIPF. Over500 have successfullyaccepted voluntaryrepatriation to Iran.Those who rejectedthis option weregranted UN refugeestatus.

In December last yearthe American MilitaryPolice began to re-move the remainingindividuals from TIPF,driving them in smallgroups to nearby resi-dential locations tomake their own way.Mr Khodabandeh toldthe Iraqi HumanRights officials thatalthough more diffi-cult to achieve itwould have beenmore effective tohave removed theMKO members fromCamp Ashraf first.This would allow any-one who wished toleave the cult to finda place of safety inTIPF and to seek ref-uge under US protec-tion.

Mr Khodabandeh re-quested that the indi-viduals involved inthe evacuation of TIPF be provided im-mediate help. Theymust be afforded asafety net and notallowed to fallthrough the system tofend for themselves,he said. This wouldinclude around 100

people who remain atTIPF as well as thosewho have already left- some of these indi-viduals are now inIraqi prison, some inTurkish prisons andthe remainder aref u g i t i v e s w h o s ewhereabouts are un-known.

It was suggested thata NGO be establishedunder the patronageof personalities andhuman rights chari-ties in Europe and theIraqi Human RightsMinistry. This wouldoffer the US militaryappropriate help indealing with theevacuation of TIPFand also Camp Ashraf within the frameworkof Iraqi law.The officials at theMinistry of HumanRights gave a veryclear answer sayingthat under no circum-stances whatsoeverwould any member orformer member of theMojahedin-e KhalqOrganisation be al-lowed to remain onIraqi soil. They gavetwo main reasons for

this decisive position.Firstly, that the MKOhave been responsi-ble for the murder of many Iraqi citizens.Respect for the rightsand memories of thefamilies of these vic-tims make it impossi-ble for the MKO tocontinue any pres-ence in the country.

(con t. p5)

I SSUE NO 191 1 F E BRUARY 2008Nejat Newsletter

THE BRIEFING PUBLICATION OF NEJAT SOCIETY

Iraqi Ministry of H R: NGO shouldfacilitate safe exitfrom Iraq

1, 5

British Gov. answerto the Lord of Terror

2, 3

Can. Gov. says Par-ents of Girl Trappedin Rajavi Cult are indanger

4

Those who fought

their own people4

Iraqi TV documen-tary about MKOsCananadian Hos-tages in Iraq

5

Seminar on Releas-ing Captives of MKO terrorist Cult

6

Massoud Khoda-bandeh replies andAlseyassah explains

7

MKO! Let our chil-dren go!

8

UK not convinced atclaim MKO hasrenounced terrorism

8

Former MKO seek-ing refuge in West-ern countries

9

Terrorists in searchof identity

10,11

MKO terror groupengaged in hostileaction towards theUS forces.

11,12

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:


2/12

N EJAT N EWSLETTER P AG E 2

British Government answ er to the 'Lords of Terror' "...Lord Malloch-Brown: My Lords, I certainly con-cede the point that the or-ganisation is led by awoman [I ran-Inter l inkeditor - the PMOI is ledby a man, Massoud Ra-

javi, who is the sole de-cision maker in the or-ganisation, Maryam Ra-

javi is only his lieuten-ant.] , but I will risk thewrath of a portion of thisHouse when I say that de-spite that, and despite whatit says about the rights of women, the PMOI was in-volved in numerous terror-ist attacks for a very ex-tended period. At the timeof the second Gulf War, itwas considered by coalitionforces to be completely as-similated into the securityapparatus of the SaddamHussein regime. Indeed, wehad to disarm the organisa-tion to the extent of 2,100tanks, vehicles and artillerypieces. Since then it has

made no renunciation of terrorism and disarmedonly in the face of pressurefrom coalition forces; so,despite what it has to sayon womens rights, we arenot convinced that in otherregards this organisationhas permanently renouncedterrorism...."Lords Hansard, February 4,2008http:/ / ww w .publications.parliament.uk/ pa/ ld200708/ ldhansrd/ text/ 80205-0001.htm Iran: People's MujaheddinOrganisation2.51 pmLord Eden of Wintonasked Her MajestysGovernment:Whether they will makerepresentations to theEuropean Union to de-proscribe the Peoples Mu-

jaheddin Organisation of Iran.The Minister of State,Foreign and Common-wealth Office (Lord Mal-loch-Brown): My Lords,the House will be awarethat the Peoples Mujahed-din Organisation of Iran iscurrently on the domesticlist of proscribed organisa-tions. The House might alsobe aware that the Pro-scribed Organisations Ap-peal Commission recentlydetermined that it shouldbe removed from this list.Proscription at the EU levelis based in part on the UKsdomestic proscription. HerMajestys Government areappealing the decision of the Proscribed Organisa-tions Appeal Commissionand the domestic proscrip-tion will remain in force un-til that appeals process iscomplete.Lord Eden of Winton: MyLords, that Answer is disap-

pointing, to put it mildly.Does the Minister acceptthat the findings of the Pro-scribed Organisations Ap-peal Commission were ab-solutely clear: that thePMOI is not concerned withterrorism? In those circum-stances, why do the BritishGovernment persist in thepolicy of appeasement of the mullah regime, whichhas yielded no benefitwhatever and is doing agrave injustice to thepeace-loving people of Iran?Lord Malloch-Brown: MyLords, the noble Lord is, Ithink, aware that the POAC

judgment turned aroundparticular aspects of thedecision. We continue tobelieve that the PMOI wasresponsible for a number of serious military attacks

over a very long period of time and that its disarmingwas entirely pragmaticinthe event of the coalitionforces forcing it to disarmafter the intervention inIraq. We have seen no evi-dence that the organisationhas publicly renounced vio-lence and terrorism. Wehave to be consistent in ourviews of terrorists. Whenwe like the people whomterrorists attack, we callthem terrorists; when it isthe civilians5 Feb 20 08 : Column 949of Iran who are attacked,we have a bad habit of thinking of them as libera-tion fighters. Terrorism andits tactics are objectionableirrespective of the target.Lord Archer of Sandwell: My Lords, will my noblefriend confirm that in addi-tion to the ruling of theEuropean Court of First In-stance and the judgment of POAC, after careful consid-

eration of all the evidence,some years ago the Ameri-can authorities in Iraq con-ducted a careful investiga-tion into the allegation andconcluded that it was to-tally without substance?Why do the Governmentcling so obstinately to adiscredited allegation by adiscredited Iranian Govern-ment?Lord Malloch-Brown: MyLords, I cannot confirm tomy noble and learnedfriend the circumstances of the US investigation that herefers to, but I certainlycan confirm that we willrespect the outcome of theappeals process.Lord Lloyd of Berwick: My Lords, can the nobleLord give us some furtherindication of what thegrounds of appeal are?


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British Government answ er to the 'Lords of Terror' Lord Malloch-Brown: MyLords, the judgment arrivedat was that the behavioursof the organisation reallyamounted to a separationfrom the use of terroristtactics. We just believe thatthere has not been a clearenough renunciation of those tactics. Instead, wesee the decision as a prag-matic one in the face of American and British force.Until we are convinced thatthe organisation has reallyforesworn those tactics, wecontinue to believe it to bea threat to civilians.Lord W allace of Saltaire: My Lords, can the Ministerassure us that the Govern-ment are consistent in theirdefinition of terrorists? Wehave a great variety of ex-iled groups in LondonTamils, Kurds, people fromthe north and south Cauca-sus and so on. We hostthose groups, although anumber of them support

opposition groups in theirown countries that are notalways non-violent. Are theGovernment confident thatthat they are consistent intheir approach?Lord Malloch-Brown: MyLords, the noble Lord raisesa very important point. Inthe case of the Tamils, theLTTE is a proscribed organi-sation. It is quite difficultdetermining which groupsin this country fall on whichside of the lineand whichsupport peaceful change intheir countries and whichsupport violent change andfinance it. We look verycarefully at that issue on acontinuing basisThe Earl of Onslow: MyLords, is not the noble Lordgetting in a terrible mud-dle? Frankly, we supportedviolent revolution in Af-ghanistan when the Rus-

sians were there, Israelwas set up by violent revo-lution, Ireland was set upby violent revolution and inSouth Africa we, to a cer-tain extent, encouragedviolence by the ANC. Wecannot say that all violenceagainst tyrannical regimesis wrong. We also sup-ported the French resis-tance and the Dutch resis-tance in the war;5 Feb 2008 : Column 9 50Montgomery objected tothat because he said it re-minded him of Palestinianand Irish terrorists. Surelythe Government are still ina muddle and ought tostart thinking straight.Lord Malloch-Brown: MyLords, the noble Earl willunderstand that we havealways objected, most re-cently in the case of Ire-land, to unwarranted at-tacks on civilian targets.There is a big differencebetween military cam-

paigns that fall within theGeneva conventions andthe rest of international lawand abusive campaignsthat target asymmetricallycivilians. I hope we have aconsistent policy towardssuch groups.Baroness Turner of Cam-den: My Lords, is my noblefriend aware that the PMOI,which is led by a woman,Madam Rajavi, has anagenda for peaceful changevia a political process, be-lieves in a human rightsagenda, including womensrights, and its policies arethe sort that we shouldsupport?Lord Malloch-Brown: MyLords, I certainly concedethe point that the organisa-tion is led by a woman[Iran-Interlink editor -the PMOI is led by aman, Massoud Rajavi,

who is the sole decisionmaker in the organisa-tion, Maryam Rajavi isonly his lieutenant.] , butI will risk the wrath of aportion of this House whenI say that despite that, anddespite what it says aboutthe rights of women, thePMOI was involved in nu-merous terrorist attacks fora very extended period. Atthe time of the second Gulf War, it was considered bycoalition forces to be com-pletely assimilated into thesecurity apparatus of theSaddam Hussein regime.Indeed, we had to disarmthe organisation to the ex-tent of 2,100 tanks, vehi-cles and artillery pieces.Since then it has made norenunciation of terrorismand disarmed only in theface of pressure from coali-tion forces; so, despitewhat it has to say onwomens rights, we are notconvinced that in other re-

gards this organisation haspermanently renouncedterrorism.Lord Harries of Pentre-garth: My Lords, it was en-couraging to hear the Min-ister say that Her MajestysGovernment would acceptthe outcome of the appealsprocess. Can we acceptthat, as a clear implicationof that, Her Majestys Gov-ernment will accept thatthis organisation should nolonger be a proscribed ter-rorist organisation?Lord Malloch-Brown: MyLords, one must alwaysfight terrorism in the con-text of the rule of law andrespect for judicial deci-sions. One stoops to thestandards of ones terroristopponents if one does oth-erwise. We will fully respectthe decision of the appealsprocess.


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Those who fought their own people


ousted Iraqi dictator Sad-dam Hussein.

According to the documen-tary, the Iraqi dictator hadequipped the Mujahedin-eKhalq Organization (MKO)with sophisticated gadgetsto pave the way for theirterrorist acts against the

Iranian nation.

The one-hour historicaldocumentary said that theMKO was blacklisted as aterrorist group for attackinga number of American na-tionals in Iran.

The movie depicts US Un-dersecretary Nicholas Burnsdeclining to answer thequestion that if Washingtonis using the MKO for intelli-gence gathering.

An MKO leader has recently

revealed that the group isproviding the US with theintelligence 'necessary toprotect US troops in Iraq.'

The group moved to Iraqduring Saddam's regimeand assisted the BaathParty in the massacre of thousands of Iraqis.

A documentaryaired by theSwedish Televi-sion

The terrorist group MKOwas spying for the USduring the Iran-Iraqwar, gathering intelli-gence on Iran's nuclearprogram, a new reportsays.

Press TV, January 14, 2008

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=38640&sectionid=351020101

A documentary aired by aSwedish TV channel, hasalso revealed that the MKOalso involved in espionageoperation on behalf of

(My parents lives are atrisk , I hold MojahedinKhalgh accountable fortheir safety)

Mohammad Mohammadi,January 12, 2008

http://toeme.blogfa.com/

Today at 16:10pm I wasinformed by Canadian gov-ernment that according toIraqi government my par-ents , Mostafa Mohammadiand My mom, Mahbubeh(Hamzeh) Mohammadi, arenot safe any more in Iraqand asked Canada to help

them to be transferred to asafe country. The Canadianagent expressed the gov-

ernments concern on theirsafety.

Due to conspiracy for failedattempt to abduct my par-ents in front of Ashraf byMojahedin Khalgh on Dec7, 2007, my parent are

Canadian Government says Parents of GirlTrapped in Rajavi cult are in danger

making tireless efforts tobring Mojahedin before the justice very soon. Mojahe-din try to terrorize theprocess of the court forhearing on assault and ab-duction charges.

Mojahedin offered bribe tothe TV station reporter andhis boss no to air the reporton Somaye and my parentsanymore. The offer was re-

jected by the Al-Iraqi TV .

My parents lives are at risk, I hold Mojahedin Khalghaccountable for theirsafety.


5/12


which has resulted in indict-ment papers and arrest war-rants being issued against thethree leading MKO members inIraq, Abbas Davari, the MKOspolitical liaison official in CampAshraf, Mozhgan Parsaii, theCommander of Rajavi's armyin Iraq and Sediqeh Hoseini,the Secretary General of theMKO, in three separate courtsincluding the Baghdad Crimi-nal Court.

The Human Rights Ministryofficials said Iraqs Govern-ment will demand the US handover these individuals, stress-ing that US refusal to complywith Iraqi law will not reflectpositively on the US presencein that country. This would notbe a political decision but isbased on the separate findingsof three Iraqi judges. The Judi-ciary will send police to arrestthe individuals concerned.

The meeting concluded withthe Iraqi Human Rights Minis-try again stressing that the

Iraqi Government would underno circumstances have anydirect contact with anyonefrom the MKO or even formermembers of the MKO in Iraq.All of these people must leaveIraq. However, Ministry offi-cials conceded that they arewilling to work with appropri-ate human rights organisationsas well as Iran-Interlink andits representatives to providetemporary help and to facili-tate the safe removal of thesepeople.

The officials gave permissionfor an NGO to be establishedto offer humanitarian emer-gency aid to those who will beevacuated from the camps.The Ministry of Human Rightswould work with the NGO tode-brief individuals from theMKO and to help reunite themwith their families. Temporaryplaces of refuge will be estab-lished to help these people.For any who request repatria-tion to Iran, the Ministry andthe International Committee of the Red Cross would jointlyguarantee that their humanrights would not be violated.However, if third countrieswere sought, the NGO mustfind these itself.

Secondly, and perhaps moreurgently, the MKO remainsdirectly attached to the BaathParty and former members of Saddam Husseins regime.Should amnesty by given toany MKO and they escape,they would pose a danger toIraq. They have been trainedby Saddam Husseins Republi-can Guards and maintain thepotential to perform terroristacts anywhere in Iraq.

To compound this decision,officials pointed out that thecase of the Mojahedin has nowbeen moved from the jurisdic-tion of the Government of Iraqto the Iraqi Judiciary whichnow has the task of makingruling judgements on thegroup and its members.

This is a highly significant stepas it takes the MKO out of thepolitical arena and places thefuture of the group in a legalframework. In this framework

judgement has already beenreached by several judges

Al-Iraqia TV, Iraq,

January 10, 2008

Al-Iraqia TV broadcasted adocumentary about two Ca-nadian sitizens, Mostafaa n d M a h b o o -beh Mohammady, whohave gone to Iraq in an at-tempt to rescue theirdaughter from MojahedinKhalq Organisation terroristcult currently under protec-tion of US army in Ashraf

camp North of Baghdad.

We have now re-ceived a copy of thisdocumentary.

Iraqi M inistry of Human Rights: NGO should facilitate safe MKOexit from Iraq ( cont. from p1)

Iraqi TV documentary about M KO's Canadian Hostage in I raq

The full translationof this film will beposted shortly.


6/12


Nejat Society,11 th of January 2008

A seminar on the subject of how to release the members of the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organi-zation (MKO) who are held bothmentally and physically captivein the Ashraf Camp in Iraq washighly attended by the familiesin the city of Shiraz despite thecold and snowy weather. Thefamilies of the members of theMKO who anxiously desiredvisiting their beloved ones afterso many years had gathered inthis seminar organized by theNejat Society in the city of Shi-raz on 11th of January 2008 inthe Red Crescent Hall of thatcity.

Mr. Ebrahim Khodabandeh, Mr.Kambiz Bagherzadeh, and MissRonak Dashti the former mem-bers of the MKO deliveredspeeches in this seminar. Mr.Khodabandeh while describingthe common methods used byall cults to manipulate and tobrainwash the followers, gavesome examples on practicesapplied within the MKO cult andreferred to the subjects such asthe family relationship, the

emotional feelings, expressingopinions, make of choice, think-ing independently, showingexcitements, and presentationof caring, to be highly restrictedand are considered as unforgiv-able sins. He emphasized thataccording to the MKOs ideol-ogy all fondness and emotionsmust be entirely directed to-wards the leadership. He ex-plained that inside the MKO

everyone is held responsibleagainst the leadership while he

is considered as impeccable.Mr. Khodabandeh mentionedthe efforts made by the familieswithin the framework of the Ne-

jat Society to organize meet-ings with their beloved onesheld in Iraq. He clarified thatrestoring the family emotionscould lead to the savior of themember from the psychologicalboundaries the person is heldin.

Mr. Bagherzadeh referred to allmistreatments and confine-ments applied against discon-tented members inside theMKO and underlined that al-though his brother was in thesame base with him but he didnot see his brother for morethan one and a half years.

Miss Dashti another formermember of the MKO who hadsome bitter experiences whileresiding in the Ashraf Camp inIraq explained how his brotherand her were deceived by theMKO to be taken to Iraq and tothe Ashraf Camp and how shewas finally released thanks tothe efforts made by her motherwho traveled to Iraq and de-manded the visit with hisdaughter. She described howthe families could play a majorroll to try to free their belovedones from captivity.She described that giving highcommanding positions to thewomen is a sham gesture taken

Seminar on Releasing Captives of MKO Terrorist Cult

by the MKO while the truth isthat women are expected to

work even harder than men andtheir emotions are also system-atically suppressed more. Sheclarified that members are ex-pected to dislike whoever theyadored before particularly the

members of their family. Shealso explained that all discon-tented members are labeled asbeing metal cases. Miss Dashtialso referred to the high level ofdissatisfaction amongst theforces inside the Ashraf Campwho find no way out.The hatred amongst the fami-lies in the hall of seminar wasto the extent that they startedshouting and cursing MasudRajavi the leader of the MKO

who has caused all these mis-eries for the families and theirbeloved ones.

In the end the families wroteseparate letters of request tothe International Committee ofthe Red Cross (ICRC) and theIraqi government demandingthe arrangement of a visit withtheir beloved ones by their ownexpenses without the presenceof any third party as soon aspossible.The core slogan of the seminarwas: the release of our chil-dren from the boundaries of theMKO terrorist cult and arrang-ing a visit between the familiesand their beloved ones


7/12


Alseyassah,

February07, 2008

http:/ / alseyassah.com/news_details.asp?nid=3713&snapt=

Anne Khodabandeh, who isof British nationality andthe wife of the Iranian Mas-soud Khodabandeh, repliedto the article published by"Alseyassah" on the first of this month under the head-ing "Iraqi warnings fromthe agent of the Iranianregime by the name of Massoud Khodabandeh", ina letter sent to the culturaloffice at the embassy of theState of Kuwait in London,of which "Alseyassah" hasreceived a copy. In the re-ply, Massoud says that "thearticle was slanderous anddefamatory to my goodname and unfortunately itsanonymous writer did nottry to contact me by emailor by telephone or at myaddress in Britain, or at theCentre de Recherches surle Terrorisme in Pariswhere I work". He refers tothe scurrilous accusationmade by the remnants of

the Baathist regime in Iraqwhich links his name andhis wife's name to the Ira-nian intelligence services -which is completely untrueand there is not a shred of evidence for the lies whichappear in that article.

He also gives the reasonwhy it was published. MrKhodabandeh explains that

he lives in the United King-dom and is currently visit-

ing Iraq at the invitation of government officials, andwas invited in order to at-tend various meeting onthe issue of foreign terroristgroups in Iraq. He addsthat "in the course of thiswork I have regular contactwith the US army and rele-vant humanitarian bodiesand I am seeking ways torescue people from thehands of the Saddamists in

Diyali province". He consid-ers that "as all Kuwaiti citi-zens know all too well, the"Mojahedin-e Khalq" or-ganisation acted as Sad-dam's private army in Iraqand helped to crush theKurdish uprising in 1991 atthe end of the first Gulf war. The Iraqi Governmentis now determined to re-move all remnants of theBaathist regime, includingthe Iranian foreign terroristgroup "Mojahedin-e Khalq",from its territory". He adds"I have trav-elled to Iraq tohelp thosepeople whowant to leavethe group tofind refuge andreturn to theirfamilies and tonormal life."

He concludesby saying thatreaders of then e w s p a p e r"Alseyassah"will understandnow why theS a d d a m i s t shave tried toblacken hisname and hestates that the

Massoud Khodabandeh replies and "Alseyassah" explains

paper's editors have actedproperly in giving him the

right to reply.In this connection, it is im-portant for "Alseyassah" toexplain to Mr and MrsKhodabandeh and to ourreaders that what was pub-lished on the first of Febru-ary was an announcementand not an article and itwas not simply ascribed toanonymous sources but itmade clear in it that it wasan announcement issued by

the "League of Iraqi Aca-demics and Educationalists"and it is important to ex-plain that the accusationsmade by the League thatMrs Ann and her husbandare "working in the serviceof the Iranian security ser-vices in Iraq and that theyare carrying out the tasksof the Iranian regime underfalse pretences" were accu-s a t i o n s c a r r i e d b y

"Alseyassah" but not es-poused by it, as was statedin the announcement itself.


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'MKO! Let our children go!'


UK not convinced at claim MKO has renounced terrorism IR NA, February 06, 2008http:/ / ww w 2.irna.ir / en

/ news/ view/ l ine-20/ 0802062091155142.htm Foreign Office Minister LordMalloch-Brown says thatthe British government isnot convinced at that the

Mujahideen-e Khalq hasgiven up terrorism, sayingits forced disarmament byUS forces was "entirelypragmatic." During the Iraq war, theMKO was "considered bycoalition forces to be com-pletely assimilated into thesecurity apparatus of theSaddam Hussein regime,"Malloch-Brown said. "Indeed, we had to disarmthe organization to the ex-tent of 2,100 tanks, vehi-cles and artillery pieces.Since then it has made norenunciation of terrorismand disarmed only in theface of pressure from coali-tion forces," he said. Prime Minister GordonBrown confirmed in Decem-ber that the British govern-ment would not de-proscribe the MKO, saying

Sat, 26 Jan 2008

The families of several mem-bers of Mojahedin Khalq Or-ganization on an Italian TVprogram call for their childrento return.

The program, called 'La Ru-brica Politica Estera', was airedby Italy's state broadcasterRAI1 on Friday. At the begin-ning of the program a numberof Iranian families were shownholding pictures of their de-ceived children, asking forthem to be allowed to return

to Iran.

Following those images, thecommentator of the programexplained that the MKO arecommunists who were sup-ported by the former Iraqi dic-tator Saddam Hussein andlater fled to Europe and theUnited States.

The commentator continuedthat the Mojahedin separatedmany families by using per-suasion techniques similar tothose of pol pot, the formercommunist head of Cambodia.The program pointed out thatmany of the terrorist organiza-tion's staff and senior mem-

bers have told unsettling tales

of insanity about the time theyspent cooperating with thegroup.

According to RAI, MKO's for-mer financial head has re-vealed that members of thegroup live in absolute povertyand in the absence of theirfamilies, while the organiza-tion's leader, Mas'oud Rajaviand his wife Maryam, live lav-ishly.

The program said that thegroup currently seeks to steerthe dispute over Iran's nuclearissue to more dismal cornersby writing a letter to the USfollowing the January 4 Strait

of Hormuz naval incident.

there was "no evidence" ithad changed and that itwas "certainly the case ithas been involved in terror-ist activity." Speaking during a House of Lords debate, the ForeignOffice minister added thatthere was also "no evidence

that the organization haspublicly renounced violenceand terrorism." "We have to be consistentin our views of terrorists,"he told supporters of pro-tracted attempts to havethe MKO removed fromBritain's domestic list of proscribed organizations,suggesting they had beenfalsely influenced. "When we like the peoplewhom terrorists attack, wecall them 'terrorists,' whenit is the civilians of Iranwho are attacked, we havea bad habit of thinking of them as liberation fighters,"Malloch-Brown said. "Terrorism and its tacticsare objectionable irrespec-tive of the target," he said.The MKO was "responsiblefor a number of seriousmilitary attacks over a very

long period of time," hesaid without listing thehundred of Iranians killedin terrorist assassinations. "There is a big differencebetween military cam-paigns that fall within theGeneva conventions andthe rest of international law

and abusive campaignsthat target asymmetricallycivilians. I hope we have aconsistent policy towardssuch groups," the ministeradded. "Its disarming was entirelypragmatic-in the event of the coalition forces forcingit to disarm after the inter-vention in Iraq," he empha-sized. Malloch Brown also saidthat despite its claims onsupporting women's rightsand being led by a woman,"we are not convinced thatin other regards this or-ganization has permanentlyrenounced terrorism." "Until we are convincedthat the organization hasreally foresworn those tac-tics, we continue to believeit to be a threat to civil-ians," he said.


9/12

Former M KO seeking refuge in w estern countries


Javad Firuzmand in-terviewed by M ehrdad

Farahmand

BBC Persian Service,

January 26, 2008The military coalition under the UScommandment in Iraq confirmedthat some MKO members have leftthis organisation and their base inIraq.

Confirmation of this news takesplace after some reports were pub-lished indicating that in the pastfew weeks the efforts of dozens of former MKO to escape Iraq andseek refuge in western countrieshave failed and many of them areleft hanging around in Iraq wherethey are in a very desperate situa-tion.

In the past four years since Iraqwas occupied by the US forces andits allies, some MKO membersgradually left this organization andCamp Ashraf which is their base inIraq.

The US army which is guardingCamp Ashraf during this period,kept the dissidents under its ownprotection in a camp near to thisbase. As the press office of coali-tion forces under the US commandhas informed the BBC, during thelast four years 380 individuals of MKO have returned to Iran at theirown request. But those dissidentswho did not wish to return to Iran

despite the efforts made by theUnited States did not gain the con-firmation of any country for theirapplication for refuge.

Meanwhile, reports indicate thatwithin the last few weeks, dozensof them decided to leave the campthey were living in which was pro-tected by the US forces and try toleave Iraq through different waysbut this effort was unsuccessful formost of them and they returned tothe camp protected by the USforces. Some were arrested after

crossing the Turkish border andreturned to Iraq, a few managedto remain in Turkey or go toGreece illegally.The Society for Defending Immi-grants and Iranians in France(ARIA) tries to help the MKO dissi-dents to leave Iraq and settle inanother country. According to thissociety 208 MKO dissidents werestaying in the US camp up to lastmonth. The press office of the USforces today gives their number at110. Javad Firuzmand, the spokes-man of ARIA society who himself has left the MKO says that thisnumber had reduced to 50 lastweek and the number 110 indi-cates that some of those who hadleft there have returned to the UScamp.

Mr Firuzmand told the BBC that 70of the dissidents tried to go to Tur-key after they left the Americaswith the aid of some smugglers,but the Turkish border police ar-rested them and after one monthin prison and remaining in compul-sory camp were handed over tothe Iraqi Police. One of these peo-ple was shot and wounded by theborder police and is in hospital now

in the city of Arbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. The spokesman of

ARIA society says that the autono-mous government of Iraqi Kurdi-stan is keeping the people whowere handed over by the Turkishpolice in a temporary camp in Arbil.But some of these people triedagain to cross the Turkish border.Ten of them were arrested againby the Turkish police and handedover to Iraqi police and they arenow in prison in Arbil. Amongstthose who managed to cross theborder ten were able to reach

Greece with the aid of smugglersand 15 are living covertly in Istan-bul and Ankara and Van in Turkey.

According to Javad Firuzmand, theMKO dissidents who are staying inTurkey could not approach theHuman Rights and Turkish organi-zations since if they are revealedthey would be arrested and re-turned to Iraq. The ten who stay inGreece are also in covert situationin that country. The ARIA societyspokesman added that about 15individuals approached Jordan and

there is no information about thedestiny of other 8.

The BBC's effort to contact theUNHCR to obtain information aboutthe destiny of these MKO dissi-dents did not reach anywhere butenquiries are still ongoing. The

ARIA society which is a humanrights establishment defendingIranians has demanded help forthese people and the chance to livelegally in European or other freecountries. During the last fouryears some MKO dissidents havereturned to Iran - the press officeof forces under US command inIraq gives their number at 380.Javad Firuzmand, the spokesmanof ARIA society says that theseindividuals are living and workingin several Iranian cities and arefreely active in the society and hehimself is in contact with some of them. According to him, insideCamp Ashraf which is still run bythe MKO, some 200 individualshave left the MKO too. These peo-ple are not willing to move to the

American's camp and they are keptin a separate place inside Ashraf.Mr Firuzmand says that these peo-ple also seek refuge from western

countries.Camp Ashraf was established in1986 after MKO leader [MassoudRajavi] moved from France to Iraqand the members of this organisa-tion launched an armed struggleagainst Iran benefiting from themilitary facilities given by SaddamHussein's regime. They partici-pated in military operations againstIran during the Iran Iraq war. Thisbase is situated in the district of Khalis in the province of Dyala inthe east of Iraq and the coalitionforces under US command have

given the total number of individu-als living there as 3360. The UnitedStates designated the MKO as aterrorist organisation but accordingto international regulations andGeneva Convention, they are keptunder the entity of "protected per-sons".

The Iranian government demandsthat Camp Ashraf be dismantledand all MKO members be expelledfrom Iraq and accuses the Ameri-cans of protecting them in order touse them against Iran.


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Straits TimesRobert KarniolDefence WriterFebruary 4, 2008

THEY are Iraq's forgotten ter-rorists, more than 3,000 fight-ers of the Mujahideen-e Khalq(MEK) languishing at one of their former military campssome 100km north of Bagh-dad. 'They are definitely in a legallimbo. No one wants them,'said Mr Said Boumedouha, aresearcher at Amnesty Inter-

national in London. No one,tha t i s , excep t I r an .The MEK, also known as theMKO or the People's Muja-hideen of Iran, is described asan Islamic Socialist group thatadvocates the overthrow of Iran's government. Founded inTeheran in 1965, it opposedthe rule of Iran's shah, butwas violently suppressed afterthe Iranian revolution as itwas viewed as a threat byAyatollah Khomeini's newlyestablished regime.

With its headquarters relo-cated to Iraq in 1986, the MEKfought with Saddam Hussein'sforces in the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-1988. They were organ-ised as a conventionally armedbrigade with an estimatedfighting strength of 6,000 to8,000 personnel. In mid-1994,Iraq's Ministry of Defence an-nounced that these fightershad been formally integratedwith the country's armedforces. The MEK is designated as aterrorist organisation by theUnited States, the EuropeanUnion and several individualcountries - in part, it seems,because of anti-Western at-tacks and assassinations be-fore the Iranian revolution.Teheran also views the MEKmembers as terrorists and hassought their extradition fromIraq. There have been efforts to liftthe yoke of this designation,

including a 2002 call to endthe US proscription signed by

150 members of Congress. Infact, some have suggestedthat Washington originallytagged it as a terrorist groupin 1997 as a gesture to Iran'snewly elected reformist presi-dent. The US proscription neverthe-less remains in place, and theEU Council continues to black-list the MEK despite a Decem-ber 2006 ruling by the Euro-pean Court of Justice thatoverturned Brussels' edictfreezing MEK funds.

There are currently some3,360 MEK members at CampAshraf, located in Iraq's Diyalaprovince. About 110 others aredefectors seeking refugeestatus and residing at the Ash-raf refugee camp. Some havebeen voluntarily repatriated toIran, claiming they wereforced to join the MEK afterbeing taken prisoner by Iraq inthe Iran-Iraq war. The Inter-national Committee of the RedCross (ICRC) says it hashelped in the repatriation of

255 former fighters, most re-cently just this month, but theUS-led Multinational Force inIraq provides a figure of 380. Though part of the Iraqi army,the MEK effectively declareditself neutral when coalitionforces invaded the country inMarch 2003, and surrenderedwithout a fight after sufferinga few air attacks. But there issome confusion concerning itssubsequent status. 'The MEK were never capturedor classified as prisoners of war (under the Third GenevaConvention). 'Protected per-son' status (under the FourthGeneva Convention) wasgranted as part of a ceasefireagreement negotiated be-tween the US and MEK,' ex-plained Major Winfield Daniel-son, a press officer with coali-tion forces in Baghdad.'Each member of the MEK wasrequired to sign a documentrenouncing violence and

Terrorists in search of identity agreeing not to take up arms.The MEK was also disarmed.'

However, this is contradictedby earlier statements that MEKmembers' status was changedfrom 'prisoners of war' to'protected persons' in June2004. 'The change in their status islinked to the change of author-ity (on June 28, 2004, whenan interim government as-sumed control of Iraq). It wasalso prompted by a processthat saw each individual dis-arm and renounce violence,'Lieutenant-Colonel Barry John-

son, a US spokesman for de-tainee operations in Iraq, toldme at that time. The shift is curious in eithercase. 'Protected person' statusapplies to civilians, whereasthe MEK personnel were uni-formed soldiers in an estab-lished army - and affiliatedwith a proscribed terroristgroup at that. 'It is not theresponsibility of the ICRC toindependently determine theirstatus,' said ICRC officialDorothea Krimitsas in an e-

mail from Geneva. The ICRChas never visited Camp Ashraf due to security concerns. Butthe coalition would contendthat this may be unnecessaryas the MEK members are notbeing detained. 'Neither the active MEK mem-bers nor the former MEK refu-gees are being detained,' saidMajor Danielson. 'The Ashraf refugee camp refugees haveevery right to depart andtravel in Iraq using an Iraqi-issued laissez-passer. Theycan also repatriate to Iran if they desire, or they may stayin the camp. 'The active MEK members wholive in Camp Ashraf have'protected persons' status. Aspart of the ceasefire agree-ment, they may travel outsidethe city of Ashraf but must doso under the protection of coa-lition forces.' Nor are MEK members atCamp Ashraf facing criminal


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Terrorists in search of identity


charges, with Major Danielsonnoting that 'they are notcharged with criminal of-

fences'. This appears peculiarin view of existing laws in theUS and elsewhere that crimi-nalise support for terrorist or-ganisations. According to the US State De-partment, for example: 'It isunlawful for a person in the USor subject to the jurisdiction of the US to knowingly provide'material support or resources'to a designated Foreign Ter-rorist Organisation.' As prisoners of war, the MEKpersonnel would have to be

'released and repatriated with-out delay after the cessation of hostilities', according to Article118 of the Third Geneva Con-vention. For 'protected per-sons' under the Fourth GenevaConvention 'internment shallcease as soon as possible afterthe close of hostilities', accord-

ing to Article 133. The ICRC maintains that theIraq war ended with the trans-

fer of sovereignty to the coun-try's interim government inJune 2004, with the fightingsince then characterised as 'aninternal conflict international-ised by the presence of multi-lateral forces'. The coalition argues that theMEK personnel at Camp Ashraf are not being detained. Butnor are they wandering aboutor relocating. 'Our position is that theyshouldn't be returned to Irandue to the fear of torture and

the death penalty. And theyshouldn't be handed over toIraq for the same reason,' saidAmnesty's Mr Boumedouha.'Their immediate future looksbleak.' In this context, Mr Boume-douha sees the US-led coali-tion's oversight of MEK per-

Iran, had been author-ized;US Kills Innocents at Ad-w arMass Grave with 50 Bod-ies Found at Samarra The Bush administrationauthorized hot pursuit of Iraqi Baathists into Syriaand Iran , according to a

just-released document atwikileak. The documentalso reveals that as late as2005, the US military au-

thorities were still unawarethat the "mobile weaponslabs" were a Neocon scama n d n e v e r e x i s t e d .(Biological weapons labsrequire a clean room, diffi-cult to install on a winne-bago).The document shows thatby 2005, the US militaryhad a de facto truce withthe Mahdi Army (a para-military whose political

... It also s how s that theMojahedin-i Khalq terrorgroup engaged in hostileaction toward the USforces, but also weregranted a truce in 2005.The MEK is an Iranianterror group that haskilled civilians insideIran and was given abase inIraq byS a d d a mHussein...

JuanCole,February06, 2008http://www.juancole.com/2008/02/hot-pursuit-into-syria-iran-had-been.html (Juan Cole is President of the Global Americana Insti-tute) Hot Pursuit into Syria,

Mojahedin-i Khalq terror group engaged in hostile action tow ardthe US forces

party parent actually joinedthe Iraqi government laterthat year).It also shows that the Mo-

jahedin-i Khalq terror groupengaged in hostile actiontoward the US forces, butalso were granted a trucein 2005. The MEK is an Ira-nian terror group that haskilled civilians inside Iranand was given a base inIraq by Saddam Hussein.US Neoconservatives havetended to support it and to

want to use it to do furtherterrorism against Iran. TheMEK has been defended byPatrick Clawson of theWashington Institute forNear East Policy (the thinktank of the American IsraelPublic Affairs Committee)and by notorious Islamo-phobe and Giuliani adviserDaniel Pipes. Danny Pos-tel explains cogently . Inother words, key figures in

sonnel at Camp Ashraf assomething of a humanitarianact in keeping with the

'protected persons' provision.If that is the case, the coali-tion is upholding the spirit of the Fourth Geneva Conventionbut perhaps not its legal man-date, as Article Six states: 'Inthe case of occupied territory,the application of the presentConvention shall cease oneyear after the close of militaryoperations.' However, some have sug-gested an alternative interpre-tation of the coalition's treat-ment of the MEK people.

Unconfirmed allegations havesurfaced in Teheran and else-where that the US Central In-telligence Agency is using theMEK for covert operations inIran. Teheran failed to respondto a request to substantiatethese claims. [email protected]


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Mojahedin-i Khalq terror group engaged in hostileaction tow ard the US forces

political violenceon Monday: 'SAMARRA - Iraqi po-lice and members of aneighborhood policeunit found a massgrave containingabout 50 bodies in anarea west of Samarra,100 km (60 miles)north of Baghdad, po-lice said. Securityforces had beensearching for alQaeda fighters whenthey found a housewith 10 people insidewho had been kid-napped from the area.Some of those insideled police to the grave.Three car bombs werealso found.KHALIS - Six sus-pected militants werekilled during opera-tions by U.S. forcestargeting al Qaedanear Khalis, 80 km (50miles) north of Bagh-dad. Three died whenone of the suspectedmilitants detonated avest packed with ex-plosives. Anotherthree were killed byU.S. soldiers in anearby building.[Taji] - One member ofa neighborhood policeunit and a civilianwere killed by a sui-cide bomber close toan internet cafe atTaji, 20 km (12 miles)north of Baghdad, alocal tribal leader said.. .'McClatchy adds : Baghdad Two civilians wereinjured in an IEDexplosion that tar-geted an Americanconvoy in PalestineStreet east Bagh-dad around 12:00pm.Police found fourbodies in Baghdadtoday. Three bodieswere found in Ru-

the Israel lobbiessupport a terroristgroup that has firedon US troops.US forces raidedthe village of Ad-

war south of Tik-ri t on Monday, andappear to havemistakenly killed anAwakening Councilfighter, a womanand two children,wounding anothergirl as well. It maybe that they werebaited into firing onthe family by anti-American guerrillas.This mistake is thesecond such in re-cent days, andadds to a strain feltbetween the SunniArab AwakeningCouncils and theirAmerican patrons.The LAT reportson how difficult ithas been for theUS military to rootout the Salafi Jihadiextremists from

Diyala province.Sawt al-Iraq re-ports in Arabicthat hundreds of Iraq's actors andperformers stageda demonstration onSunday in front of the national theaterin Baghdad to pro-test their loss of livelihood and direeconomic straits.

They called onPrime Minister Nurial-Maliki to improvetheir incomes justas he had for gov-ernment employ-ees. Unlike USscreenwriters, theycan't even go onstrike-- they arealready largely un-employed.Reuters reports

safa, the easternside of Baghdad inthe followingneighborhoods (1body in Ur, 1 bodyin Jisr Diyala and 1

body in Shaab).The fourth bodywas found inWashash neighbor-hood in Karkh, thewestern side of Baghdad.Misan Three officers inthe Iraqi army werekilled by gunmen inthree differentneighborhoods inUmara city south of Baghdad todaymorning. The firstofficer was a colo-nel who was a Lieu-tenant Colonel whowas killed in alAskari neighbor-hood downtownUmara city. Thesecond officer wasa Major who waskilled in the newbuildings neighbor-

hood downtown[A]mara city whilethe third officer wasLieutenant who waskilled in his carwhile he was re-turning back homei n a l U r o b an e i g h b o r h o o ddowntown [A]maracity.Anbar A source in the

Sahwa council of Sheikh Sanad saidthat three membersof the Sahwa werekilled and five oth-ers were injuredwhen a suicidebomber wearing anexp los ive ves tdetonated himself near one of thecheck point of theSahwa office of

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