Open Letter from Nejat Society to TIPF at Camp Ashraf

Temporary International Presence Facility (TIPF)

May 21, 2006

Dear Sir,

The members of Neját (Salvation) Society in Iran would like to draw your kind attention to a very important and imperative issue concerning the members of the Mojáhedin-é Khalq Organisation (MKO) of Iran who are being held in Camp Ashraf, north of Baghdad.

Nejat Society consists of those ex-members of the Organisation who have been rescued from the notorious establishment of the MKO and returned to their families inside Iran. The main objective of the Society is to help former colleagues who are still mentally or even physically imprisoned by the Organisation in Iraq. We have tried our best to arrange visits between the members and their relatives; although we have not been very successful in this regard.

We have learned about the excellent activities of TIPF in Iraq which has made such a good effort to help those members who wished to free themselves and start a new respectful life for the rest of their lives. Your work has always been appreciated by many, many Iranians, and particularly the families of the victims who are still held captive in the Camp in Iraq. In our opinion, TIPF has a historical and humanitarian role to play for those who really need to be supported and helped to a safe and sound future. We also believe that your work has not been fully recognised and appreciated worldwide and more support must be gained for it.

It should be taken into consideration that the MKO has been recognised as a cult organisation, and that dealing with a cult which has had the opportunity to control its members in such isolated surroundings like Iraq for many years, is a very careful assignment. In our opinion, all the members of the Organisation should be treated individually as separate cases and the help of their relatives and old friends should be sought. We are pleased to say that Nejat Society can offer plenty experience in this manner.

We are fully aware that the MKO is not happy with the work of TIPF since they wish to continue their domination and control over the members in the framework of the Organisation as they used to do under Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship. We have observed that the MKO has had a hostile attitude towards TIPF and even called it the "apparatus of the Iranian Regime". But we believe that TIPF should continue with its good work and insist on the visits made between the members of the Organisation and their families without the presence of the authorities of the MKO and under the supervision of the International Red Cross.

We strongly believe that TIPF can play a vital role in breaking break the present deadlock concerning the members still residing in Iraq, in order to help them to freely and independently decide about their own future without the indoctrination normally imposed on them by the Organisation. Whether they would like to leave the Organisation or hold on to it, and whether they wish to return to Iran or move to a third country, ought to be decided unconventionally with enough thought and careful study by every one personally.

The Nejat Society is seeking active contact with TIPF since the two establishments are dealing with the same subject and they both wish to help the same people. In our opinion, the work of TIPF so far should be carefully revised and evaluated. We think we can find a great many subjects that we could share and discuss about. We would be most delighted to receive communication from you soon and we do appreciate any contact with your institution in the future.

Looking forward to hearing or seeing from you.

Yours Sincerely,

Copy to:

- the International Committee of the Red Cross

- the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights

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