Mass Tragedy Feared as Closure of Mojahedin Khalq (MKO, MEK, Rajavi cult) Camp Looms
Mass Tragedy Feared as Closure of Mojahedin Khalq (MKO, MEK, Rajavi cult) Camp Looms
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... U.S. officials fear that unless MEK leader Maryam Rajavi gives her approval, there will be a bloodbath at Camp Ashraf, an MEK base 56 kilometres north of Baghdad that Iraqi leaders insist must close by Dec. 31. There are particular concerns that MEK members will clash with Iraqi security forces or commit mass suicide. An Obama administration official who spoke to IPS on condition that he not be named said, "The Iraqi government and U.N. ambassador (to Iraq) Martin Kobler have made significant progress recently" but that MEK leaders have still not signed off on the plan, which would transfer residents in stages to Camp Liberty, a former U.S. military base near Baghdad airport ...
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (IPS) - The Barack Obama administration and the United Nations are struggling to convince the leadership of the Mujaheddin-e Khalq (MEK), an Iranian opposition group with cult-like characteristics, to vacate a camp in Iraq and allow residents to move to another location in the country or risk the lives of as many as 3,200 people.
U.S. officials fear that unless MEK leader Maryam Rajavi gives her approval, there will be a bloodbath at Camp Ashraf, an MEK base 56 kilometres north of Baghdad that Iraqi leaders insist must close by Dec. 31. There are particular concerns that MEK members will clash with Iraqi security forces or commit mass suicide.
An Obama administration official who spoke to IPS on condition that he not be named said, "The Iraqi government and U.N. ambassador (to Iraq) Martin Kobler have made significant progress recently" but that MEK leaders have still not signed off on the plan, which would transfer residents in stages to Camp Liberty, a former U.S. military base near Baghdad airport.
There, officials from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) would be able to interview MEK members individually to determine their preferences for resettlement.
"After much regrettable stalling, the MEK finally seems ready to engage seriously," the official said Monday. "This is good, but the MEK must be realistic, and time is short."
The official added that while MEK leaders have backed off from "maximalist positions" in the last 48 hours, "We're still hearing talk about martyrdom and dying."
The Obama administration has been working with the United Nations and Iraq to facilitate the transfer of the estimated 3,200 Ashraf residents. Vincent Cochetel, Washington representative for UNHCR, told IPS in September that the MEK had agreed to the plan through the organisation's legal counsel in London.
But Rajavi, who lives outside Paris and met with Kobler last weekend, is insisting that U.S. or U.N. troops accompany the Ashraf residents, according to a source with knowledge of the meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity. Iraq has agreed to U.N. monitoring of the transfer but not the presence of foreign troops.
The United States last weekend withdrew the last of its forces from Iraq under the terms of a status of forces agreement and is not about to send them back for this purpose.
Human rights organisations have urged the Obama administration to call on the Iraqi government to extend the deadline.
Sanjeev Bery, advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa at Amnesty International, told IPS in an email that the organisation "is concerned that Camp Ashraf residents are at serious risk of severe human rights violations if the Iraqi government goes ahead with its plans to force the closure of the camp by the end of this month."
The email noted that there had been several attacks on the camp by Iraqi security forces, most recently in April, which "resulted in the deaths of dozens of residents and injuries to others".
The senior administration official said Amnesty, instead, should urge the MEK to sign onto the plan "at hand and not encourage people to die".
Experts on the MEK accuse its leaders of holding its own members hostage to efforts to get the organisation removed from the U.S. State Department's list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations. The State Department has been reviewing the MEK's status for months but has tried to decouple the process from efforts to resolve the impasse over Ashraf.
MEK supporters say the group has renounced terrorism. They have mounted an elaborate campaign to be removed from the terrorist list that has included expensive full-page ads in major U.S. newspapers and paid speeches by prominent former U.S. officials.
However, Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council, told IPS, "If an organisation is ordering innocent residents of a camp to commit suicide or have themselves killed if their leaders don't get the outcome they are seeking, isn't that the definition of a terrorist group?"
U.S. officials do not know for sure how many people are at Ashraf but believe they include minors and others who were tricked into going to the camp. There they were subjected to military training and mind control exercises that include cult-like devotion to Mrs. Rajavi and her husband Massoud, whose whereabouts are unknown.
The prolonged presence of the MEK at Camp Ashraf has been a major irritant for Iraqi officials since the end of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.
A Marxist-Islamist group that helped remove the Shah of Iran but lost out in a post-revolution power struggle, the MEK found refuge in Iraq and fought on the side of Saddam's forces against Iran in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. It also helped Saddam suppress uprisings by Iraqi Shiites and Kurds following the 1991 Gulf War and carried out a series of high-profile attacks on Iranian officials during the 1990s.
The U.S. State Department put the MEK on its list of foreign terrorist organisations in 1997.
Iraqi officials have promised to give the U.N. sufficient time to process the camp members – provided they leave Ashraf.
Even if they do accept transfer, it will be difficult to resettle the residents. Several hundred camp residents have returned to Iran since 2003 through the auspices of the International Red Cross.
However, the atmosphere in Iran has darkened since disputed 2009 presidential elections and those affiliated with the MEK face imprisonment or even execution. European countries are also not eager to accept MEK members, many of whom have been subjected to brainwashing.
Taking the group off the U.S. terrorist list would not mean that members could automatically come to the United States. U.S. law forbids immigration to "those who provided material support to, or received military-type training" from any organisation that has been on the terrorist list, according to another State Department official who spoke to IPS recently on condition of anonymity.
The Obama administration has tasked Daniel Fried, a former assistant secretary of State for European affairs, with resolving the crisis. Fried's office is also responsible for resettling Guantanamo detainees.
Mojahedin-e Khalq may attack Iraqi and Iranian Embassies across the west
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... Three other MEK loyalists have recently left Camp Ashraf and are now somewhere in Europe. The significance of this is that these three individuals are the MEK’s top explosives experts, trained by Saddam Hussein’s army. The three were tracked from Camp Ashraf until they reached Europe where the trail went cold. They are presumably now in one of the MEK’s many European bases. It is known that Massoud Rajavi is still considering whether to launch last ditch attacks on Iraqi and/or Iranian embassies worldwide. Massoud Rajavi is stuck in the bowels of Camp Ashraf. He is ...
Only a few months ago there were 3400 residents in Camp Ashraf. Today there are 3200, and the missing 200 people are now surfacing in western countries.
Three weeks ago, nine MEK loyalists were sent to Canada where they have citizenship rights. The move was carried out with cooperation between Canada, UNAMI and Massoud Rajavi and his commanders in the camp. There are almost a hundred more residents in Camp Ashraf with links to Canada, but Massoud Rajavi has not released them at this stage.
Shortly after their arrival it was clear why they had been sent; Canadian political opinion had been manipulated by a propaganda campaign to misrepresent the situation at the camp with these MEK members as ‘witnesses’. On 16 December four of these MEK members from Camp Ashraf filed complaints against the Iraqi authorities in a Washington court while the Iraqis have opened cases against the MEK for violence in the camp long ago. It is now clear that the Obama administration could not prevent the CIA from bringing these MEK members from Canada, and they will not be able to stop others from coming. In the same way, France will not be able to prevent the MEK who are now in Washington from travelling to the MEK’s second base in Paris. Informed sources believe that their transfer via Frankfurt is due next week.
The MEK have been transferring members illegally around the world for three decades, there is nothing to suggest they cannot continue now. Indeed, with a little careful scrutiny we can now see what happened to every one of the missing 200 and why.
Three other MEK loyalists have recently left Camp Ashraf and are now somewhere in Europe. The significance of this is that these three individuals are the MEK’s top explosives experts, trained by Saddam Hussein’s army. The three were tracked from Camp Ashraf until they reached Europe where the trail went cold. They are presumably now in one of the MEK’s many European bases. It is known that Massoud Rajavi is still considering whether to launch last ditch attacks on Iraqi and/or Iranian embassies worldwide.
Massoud Rajavi is stuck in the bowels of Camp Ashraf. He is being forced to confront the probability that his plan to maintain Camp Ashraf against all odds will fail and he will, sooner rather than later, be forced to evacuate the camp.
In preparation for this second – and far more likely scenario – he has held indoctrination meetings with selected residents of Camp Ashraf. These in the main are the older, veteran members, the sick and the disaffected. He has told them that if the Iraqis “attack” the camp to remove them, they will be either massacred or, if they survive, sent to Iran and executed, therefore they must do all they can to resist such an outcome, even to die in the attempt to save him and the MEK. He has callously and cynically prepared them for martyrdom over a false cause. Of course they have no way of checking the reality of what Rajavi has told them.
So what of the other residents of Camp Ashraf who are not being indoctrinated for martyrdom? Quite simply they are part of a process of asset stripping the camp. Anyone for whom Rajavi has any use whatsoever, of any rank or any ability, will be removed from the camp and sent to Europe and North America. Indeed, this process has already begun. This is why 200 are missing. They have already been smuggled out of the camp.
Some of those sent to the west are people who can make problems if they get arrested in Iraq. MEK loyalists like Keshmiri and Kolahi who were responsible for exploding the Hizb-e Jomhouri HQ and the Prime Minister’s office in the early 1980s. Both have been seen recently in the suburbs of Cologne in Germany.
More will be coming as Rajavi asset strips the camp before handover.
An agreement was struck during the last week between the US and the Iraqi secret services to remove Massoud Rajavi from Camp Ashraf so the Iraqi plan to close the camp can start. The only place Rajavi will be safe is in the MEK’s second base at Auvers sur Oise near Paris. The Americans will facilitate his transfer and then surface him as a signal to begin the closure of the camp.
Preparations are underway to re-launch Massoud Rajavi after nearly nine years in hiding. One plan which is being considered right now in Paris is to coordinate attacks on Iraqi and Iranian embassies as elements in America are really hurt by Iraq’s refusal to grant US citizens immunity from prosecution, and by Iran’s refusal to compromise its nuclear programme – not to mention the downing of a CIA drone plane. It would appear that the CIA backed mission to transfer Camp Ashraf residents to Canada, America and Europe is only a preliminary to further activities. Then will it be clear how rewarding Rajavi’s asset stripping will be to the MEK’s backers.
Congressional Leaders Voice Support for Mojahedin Khalq (MKO, MEK, Rajavi cult) Violence
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... But Rohrabacher was adamant in his support for MEK. “I will have to admit the thing that attracts me to this movement is that it is willing to fight," he responded. “It won’t just be pacifists," Rohrabacher said, referring dismissively to the Green Movement, "it will be people with courage and people who stand up.” Mukasey, in addition to calling for the MEK to be removed from the terrorism list, urged that MEK members be allowed to resettle in the United States. Mukasey acknowledged that members of terrorist organizations are legally barred from entering the U.S., and suggested legislation be introduced to change the law for MEK members ...
Ali Safavi, a senior member of the MEK's political wing, the National Council of Resistance in Iran (NCRI), coached witnesses before and during the hearing. The NCRI is designated as a terrorist affiliate of the MEK.
Washington, DC - Congressional supporters of the drive to remove the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) from the U.S. terrorism list defended the organization’s use of violence while dismissing Iran’s nonviolent Green Movement at a hearing on Capitol Hill last week. The hearing was also remarkable in that senior leaders of the designated foreign terrorist organization were caught counseling some of the witnesses before the hearing. It is illegal to coordinate with a foreign terrorist organization to advocate on behalf of the terrorist group.
Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, compared the use of terrorism by MEK to violence employed during the American Revolutionary War. He justified the “cult-like” behavior of the MEK, saying American revolutionaries included "religious fanatics and Christian cults.”
Alireza Jafarzadeh, who has served as NCRI spokesman, counseled former Bush Attorney General Michael Mukasey prior to his testimony
Rohrabacher called for the MEK to be removed from the Foreign Terrorist Organization list, which prevents the group from receiving government funding and makes it illegal for MEK to operate in the U.S. "Any group that chooses to use violence to resist doesn’t make them right or wrong,” Rohrabacher stated. “Backing people who fight against tyranny is also something the U.S. should be doing.”
Despite the terrorist listing, Ali Safavi, a senior member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, was at the hearing, where he openly counseled witnesses before and during their testimony. The NCRI is the MEK’s political wing and is considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
The hearing’s witnesses included three former U.S. officials who have actively participated in pro-MEK conferences, including former Bush Administration Attorney General Michael Mukasey.
All three witnesses who previously appeared at MEK conferences unanimously called for the MEK to be removed from the terror list, though none were asked to disclose whether they had received money to support the organization, as have other officials who have advocated for delisting the group.
The lone dissenting voice among the witnesses, former Obama Administration advisor Ray Takeyh, was subjected to an intense back and forth with Representatives on the panel.
Takeyh warned panelists who viewed MEK as a viable alternative to the Iranian regime that the organization has no support in Iran.
“I don’t agree," responded Representative Bob Filner (D-CA). "Even if you’re right, so what?”
Filner laughed off evidence that MEK President Maryam Rajavi is a cult leader, despite reports from the State Department and FBI of “cult-like” practices by MEK that include indoctrination rituals and torture. "She is as intelligent, humorous, humane and humble as anyone I’ve ever met," Filner observed, recounting what he said have been numerous meetings he has held in Paris with Rajavi.
Filner accused Takeyh of justifying violence against the MEK by highlighting the group's history of terrorism, and said the U.S. should be supporting the organization as a “third way” alternative in Iran because it opposes the Iranian regime.
“These are our friends! We should be getting out of their way and de-list them,” Filner exclaimed. “Let them do what they can! Why are we helping Iran by not helping the MEK?”
Rohrabacher defended the MEK's history of violence, saying, “This is a territory that’s filled with violence—I would be surprised if there wasn’t any organization that wasn’t in some way involved with using force to protect themselves.”
"Oh I would disagree with that," responded Takeyh. "Within Iran there are many opposition movements, such as the Green Movement, that explicitly reject violence.”
But Rohrabacher was adamant in his support for MEK. “I will have to admit the thing that attracts me to this movement is that it is willing to fight," he responded. “It won’t just be pacifists," Rohrabacher said, referring dismissively to the Green Movement, "it will be people with courage and people who stand up.”
Mukasey, in addition to calling for the MEK to be removed from the terrorism list, urged that MEK members be allowed to resettle in the United States. Mukasey acknowledged that members of terrorist organizations are legally barred from entering the U.S., and suggested legislation be introduced to change the law for MEK members.
Prior to the hearing, Mukasey was witnessed receiving coaching from Alireza Jafarzadeh, who served as the official spokesman for the NCRI before it was declared a terrorist group and its offices raided by the FBI in 2003.
Meanwhile, many were turned away from the hearing or sent to the overflow room to watch the proceedings because the hearing room was at capacity. It was filled with individuals in yellow jerseys emblazoned with the slogans, “De-list the MEK,” “Protect Ashraf,” and “Ramp up sanctions.”
RT: Lobbyist in Capital Hill with pockets stuffed with MEK’s money
(aka; Mojahedin Khalq, MKO, Rajavi cult)
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... The Alyona Show on RT – Russian English –Language news Channel suggests the US media focus on the “Lobbyist in Capital Hill with pockets stuffed with MEK’s money”, on July 9th. The show criticizes US officials’ hypocrisy and double-standard sell the cause of terrorists. Comparing MEK with Al-Qaida the show poses the question that how a terrorist designated organization can be debated in a hearing held in the US congress ...
The Alyona Show on RT – Russian English –Language news Channel suggests the US media focus on the “Lobbyist in Capital Hill with pockets stuffed with MEK’s money”, on July 9th. The show criticizes US officials’ hypocrisy and double-standard sell the cause of terrorists. Comparing MEK with Al-Qaida the show poses the question that how a terrorist designated organization can be debated in a hearing held in the US congress.
Diyala Governor: Human Rights, Deporting MEK, Imposing the Laws, non negotiable
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... Massoud Khodabandeh heading the delegation thanked the Government of Iraq and asked the Governor of Diyala and the General to help inform the people trapped inside about their rights and to counter the lies given to them by the hostage takers and cult leaders. Ms Abdollahi on behalf of the families asked for help and for care to be taken when dismantling the camp to institute particular safeguards to protect the relatives of the picketing families. Ms Sanjabi, (formerly a member of the MEK Leadership Council), who managed to escape some months ago, explained ...
A meeting was held on Monday 21 November between officials of the Diyala province and family representatives of the people trapped in Camp Ashraf.
The Governor of Diyala, Dr Abdul–Nasser Al-Mahdwe stated clearly that:
1- There will be no compromise on the decision to deport the MEK.
2 - There will be no compromise on imposing national and international laws
3 - There will be no compromise on respect for human rights laws and agreements and therefore they will not be forcefully returned to Iran.
He said that the overall decisions will rest with central government but as far as Diyala is concerned there is no room for the MKO anywhere inside the province. This has been announced repeatedly by practically all the leaders of tribes and local officials. Dr Al-Mahdwe dismissed completely the MEK propaganda in which they claim they have some support and said that to claim, after what they have done, that the MEK have even a small percentage of support in the province is simply a lie and is purely fictitious.
General Abdol Amir Al-Zeidi, is the commander of the regional army and responsible for the protection of the camp. He said that he has met many escapees from the camp. The last one was a woman who had to drag herself out and crawl for about half a kilometer before reaching the Iraqis. He said the leaders are the problem not the trapped people and if given order we are prepared to transfer them out of the camp with the utmost dignity and care and respect for their wellbeing. He said this can be checked by reporters and human rights organisation who wish to observe the operation.
The General said that in the event they receive the order to evacuate the camp, they will try their utmost to stop the leaders killing the hostages and the disaffected members as they did before. According to the General most of the people who were killed in April 2011 were in opposition to the leadership and had been shot in the heart or in the head. But the leaders tried to cover up such facts even though the evidence is unequivocal. He said reports will be handed over to the authorities to deal with the cases of murder of these people at the hands of the hostage takers.
Massoud Khodabandeh heading the delegation thanked the Government of Iraq and asked the Governor of Diyala and the General to help inform the people trapped inside about their rights and to counter the lies given to them by the hostage takers and cult leaders.
Ms Abdollahi on behalf of the families asked for help and for care to be taken when dismantling the camp to institute particular safeguards to protect the relatives of the picketing families.
Ms Sanjabi, (formerly a member of the MEK Leadership Council), who managed to escape some months ago, explained the latest developments inside the camp and gave some ideas about how the leaders may try to plan and execute violent resistance.
Mr and Mrs Mohammady from Canada who have been trying since before 2003 to rescue their daughter from the camp, presented some documents including copies of the arrest warrants for some leading members of the MKO inside the camp which the General received and promised to follow up.
Other delegation members including Mr. Azizi a Human rights activist from Netherlands Mr Sadeghi, one of the few people who managed to escaped from the camp during the time of Saddam Hussein, Mr Ghashghavi who spent years in Abu Ghraib, where he was sent by Rajavi, Mr. Ferydouni who managed to escape a few weeks ago and Ms Mahdian whose husband, a registered POW, is trapped inside the camp also participated in the meeting.
Press and media were present and the Governor and the General gave a media briefing following the meeting which was broadcast live through official and national media.
... Mr Adnan Al-Shahmani, head of the Parliamentary Committee to oversee the expulsion of the MEK announced in the Conference that the deadline would not be extended and that the camp will be closed by the end of the year. He also explained that the Iraqi Judiciary had issued its final verdict that the camp should be closed... Mr Al- Shahmani also criticized the West for its silence toward the crimes committed by the group against civilians, and asked international communities not to remain silent in the case of the abuse of the rights of the families of the victims of the MEK ...
A Conference in Baghdad University on Friday 25 November was organised by Al-Edalat Al-Iraqi Society, headed by Dr Nafe Al-Isa, which represents the families of 25,000 Iraqi victims of the MEK.
The Conference was held in Al-Hakim Conference Centre in Baghdad University and hundreds of tribal leaders, University lecturers, Governmental representatives and officials, NGOs and media representatives filled the salon. Although Camp Ashraf and the MEK is an issue specific to the government and citizens of Iraq, the Conference organisers made sure to invite Western agencies, such as the UN, EU and diplomats who have claimed or expressed an interest in Camp Ashraf. Unfortunately, however, any such invitees were apparently unable to leave the Green Zone to attend the Conference and talk to the delegates.
Opening the Conference, Dr Nafe, speaking on behalf of the families of victims of MEK violence, asked that those MEK leaders who were responsible for this violence be brought to justice before their deportation.
Speakers from the government and NGOs all emphasized that the deadline for deportation must be strictly adhered to and that Iraqi and international law against terrorism and crime must be upheld. Other speakers, in particular the tribal leaders spoke about the MEK’s crimes which they have witnessed in recent years in Diyala province. They were highly critical of the failure of the American military to dismantle the camp after 2003, and were scathing of the continued American backing which allowed the camp to be used for training and inciting terrorism against Iraqis.
On this theme, Jasem Al- Ebadi, Member of Parliament and member of the parliamentary Human Rights Commission used his speech to criticise EU efforts to keep the terrorist group intact and their opposition to the deportation process. He commented that if they are so in love with this terrorist group, why don't they take them to their own countries?
(Mr. Al- Shahmani, MP)
Mr Adnan Al-Shahmani, head of the Parliamentary Committee to oversee the expulsion of the MEK announced in the Conference that the deadline would not be extended and that the camp will be closed by the end of the year. He also explained that the Iraqi Judiciary had issued its final verdict that the camp should be closed and the land handed back to the original owners.
Mr Al- Shahmani also criticized the West for its silence toward the crimes committed by the group against civilians, and asked international communities not to remain silent in the case of the abuse of the rights of the families of the victims of the MEK.
(Mr. Al- Shahmani, meeting families)
Mr Al-Shahmani also met with the representatives of the families of hostages inside Camp Ashraf and the delegation from European countries who are campaigning to ensure a peaceful outcome to the standoff at the camp.
(Mr. Khodabandeh)
Massoud Khodabandeh, from Middle East Strategy Consultants which is working with the Iraqi government to resolve the situation at Camp Ashraf, introduced his book ‘The Life of Camp Ashraf – Mojahedin-e Khalq Victims of Many Masters’ to the Conference. The book places the MEK in the context of its foreign ownership and concludes that these owners have invested heavily in the MEK’s ability to commit acts of violence and terrorism, and that this is the reason for western resistance to closing the camp. The book particularly highlights the MEK’s refusal to allow residents of the camp to have contact with their immediate families as a fundamental human rights abuse of every person in the camp.
(Ms. Abdollahi)
Ms Abdollahi represented the families and asked for help to release the hostages (including her own son) from the camp. Ms Abdollahi reminded the Conference that the families’ struggle to find their relatives had been going on since 2003 and that a permanent picket had been established two years ago. She stressed that when searching for a solution the families of course have the security and safety of all the residents as their utmost priority. The families have the simplest and easily granted request – to visit their loved ones who are in the camp. This does not depend on the removal of the MEK from Iraq and would be simple to do. The only barrier to this request is the order of the MEK leaders Massoud and Maryam Rajavi. They can easily resolve this issue by ordering that the families of MEK members be allowed to have free and unfettered contact with their loved ones.
(Ms. Sanjabi)
Ms Sanjabi is an ex-member of the MEK’s women only Leadership Council. She managed to escape from Camp Ashraf very recently, and explained the dire situation of the women inside the camp, detailing disturbing and shocking human rights abuses which are currently being carried out against the residents by the MEK leaders.
(Ms Mahdian)
Ms Mahdian, whose husband is a hostage inside the camp, explained how Saddam’s Intelligence services gave her husband to the MEK as a slave, even though he had been and is still a registered POW, captured at the start of the Iran-Iraq war. Ms Mahdian explained that her son has not seen his father for the past 25 years and the MEK would not allow this visit even after two years of picketing.
(Mr. Sadeghi)
Mr Sadeghi from Germany, who is one of the few members who managed to run away from the camp successfully during the time of Saddam Hussein, presented and explained evidence of recent MEK interference in the internal affairs of Iraq, their collaboration with Saddamists and other terrorist groups, and the MEK’s active role in intensifying the insurgency.
(Mr. Ghashghavi)
Mr Ghashghavi also from Germany, served eight years without trial in Saddam’s prisons including Abu Ghraib for refusing to carry out Massoud Rajavi’s orders to commit criminal acts. Mr Ghashghavi explained how Rajavi and Saddam would force people to either kill others or be sent to the torture chambers themselves and be killed.
(Mr. Ezati and Ms. Sanjabi)
Another ex-MEK member, Mr Ezati who now lives in the Netherlands, gave interviews to the media explaining the situation inside the camp and the constant abuse of human rights of the victims. Mr Ezati strongly criticized the unfortunate media silence over these human rights abuses which he ascribed to the pervasive influence of the MEK’s powerful backers who regard the MEK as “good terrorists”.
(Nejat delegation)
Tens of ex-MEK members who work with Nejat Association in Iran, also attended the Conference and were interviewed by the media. They explained that Nejat Association, which works closely with the families of the hostages, now has the capacity to help those survivors who wish to do so, to go back to their country under the amnesty which was granted by the Iranian authorities in 2003 (which is based on the understanding that the MEK members have been subjected to the coercion and control of cult leaders) and which to date has been upheld under the supervision of the ICRC.
Conference attendees were particularly interested in the testimony of three recently escaped camp residents who gave full and detailed explanations to the media about the harsh reality of being a captive inside Camp Ashraf. They spoke about the total information blackout and social and emotional isolation they experienced there. They emphasized that the leaders and the hostage takers lie constantly to the residents so that the captives have no idea about the outside world. They are made to believe that the MEK leaders are directly supported by the Americans and that if they tried to escape the camp they would be immediately shot, or now, after being tortured by the Iraqis they would be handed over to Iran to be executed without trial. They said that if they were given the true facts and information, there is not one person in the camp who would still want to stay in the desert of Iraq nearly nine years after disarmament. They urged international organizations, especially the US representatives and UNAMI, who are the only organizations with close relations with the hostage takers, to take advantage of their weekly meetings inside Camp Ashraf with the hostage takers, to persuade them to open up the flow of information and convince them to give people the right to family visits as well as normal means of communication such as writing and telephones, etc.
These recently escaped hostages also urged UNAMI not to present the hostage takers as the representatives of the hostages in the media outputs. Instead they should be clear that Rajavi is no one’s representative and as long as the negotiators have not met with the hostages without the presence of the MEK commanders - the hostage takers - outside the camp, they have no right to claim anything on their behalf. They said they believe that UNAMI and the American backers of the cult are in breach of international law for siding with the terrorists as these are people who have abused the human rights of over 3000 people for decades. The survivors of Camp Ashraf are now taking legal advice to claim compensation for their suffering and losses from the MEK leaders.
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