1965 People’s Mojahedin Organisation
of Iran founded, based on revolutionary armed struggle to free Iran from
capitalism, imperialism, reactionary Islamic forces and despotism. Founder
members Mohammad Hanif Nezhad, Saied Mohsen and Ali-Asghar Badi’Zadegan.
1966 Massoud Rajavi (born in Tabas,
1948) joined in 1966 when he studied political law at Tehran University.
(Massoud Rajavi later announced himself as the ideological leader of Mojahedin.)
1969 Rajavi became a member of the
12 member Central Committee of the Mojahedin.
1971 Mojahedin started their armed
struggle – killing 6 American advisors
1971 Mass-arrests of members by SAVAK (the shah’s secret service) including
Massoud Rajavi. Kazem Rajavi the brother of Massoud Rajavi began an
international campaign from Switzerland to have the death sentences of all
Mojahedin prisoners commuted to life.
1972 All Central Committee members of Mojahedin
executed except Massoud Rajavi.
February 1979 – Massoud Rajavi released from
prison as the revolution swept away the monarchy. Rajavi became spokesman
for the Mojahedin (later, Rajavi announced himself as the leader of
Mojahedin). 12 member Central Committee including Massoud Rajavi take up leadership of
Mojahedin.
4 November 1979 Occupation of the
American Embassy in Tehran by ‘Students following the line of the Imam’.
Rajavi and Mojahedin participated and later demanded the execution of
Americans Captured
November 1979 Mojahedin militia
formed. Rajavi still the spokesman and member of central committee of
Mojahedin
1980 Presidential Elections in Iran
for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Rajavi’s candidature for President
rescinded by Khomeini. Rajavi stood on behalf of Mojahedin Khalq
Organisation.
1980 Iraq invades southern Iran and
war is declared between the two nations. Rajavi and Mojahedin refused to
fight alongside Iranian army.
May 1981 Khomeini dismisses Abol
Hassan Bani Sadr as President. Mojahedin and Rajavi tried to distance Bani
Sadr from Khomeini.
20th June 1981 (30th
Khordad 1361) Mojahedin now headed by Massoud Rajavi hold a spontaneous demonstration of 500,000
supporters (Rajavi and Mojahedin claimed) who marched on parliament (Majlis). Khomeini orders crackdown and
over 30 are killed. Beginning of mass arbitrary arrests and execution.
29th July 1981 Rajavi and
Bani Sadr escape to Paris and together establish the National Council of
Resistance of Iran. The NCRI has 12 members including the Mojahedin. Rajavi
claimed to be the head of National Council or Resistance and not the
representative of Mojahedin. Rajavi appointed another representative for
Mojahedin.
8th February 1982 Mousa
Khiabani the Mojahedin’s Commander inside Iran (who did not run away with
Massoud Rajavi) is killed in a gun battle
with Khomeini’s forces. Rajavi’s wife Ashraf Rabii is also killed. Massoud Rajavi
marries Bani Sadr’s daughter Firouzeh in a matter of few months.
24th March 1983 Bani Sadr
publicly announces his separation from the National Council of Resistance because of disagreements
over Rajavi’s relations with Iraq. Massoud Rajavi had been getting very
close to Saddam Hussein.
1983 Mojahedin forced out of bases
in Iranian Kurdistan by Iranian Pasdaran. Rajavi signs a Peace Treaty with
Iraq (Saddam Hussein) and Mojahedin forces establish camps in Iraqi Kurdistan.
1984 Rajavi divorces Firouzeh Bani Sadr. Rajavi claims to have done
every thing to stop this but this is going to be a good thing for Mojahedin.
February 1985 Massoud Rajavi marries Maryam
Abrishamchi (nee Azodanlou) in a public (members) ceremony after she
divorces her husband, Central Committee member of Mojahedin Mehdi Abrishamchi.
Massoud Rajavi
declares himself and Maryam Rajavi co-leaders of the Mojahedin and terms this an
‘Ideological Revolution’. The marriage of Maryam Rajavi and Massoud Rajavi
is the start of the path for Mojahedin to become "Rajavi cult"
14th April 1985 Massoud Rajavi and his new wife Maryam
Rajavi
expel the Kurdish Democratic Party led by Ghassemlou from the National
Council of Resistance.
1986 France asks Rajavi to leave
Paris.
June 1986 Massoud Rajavi and Maryam Rajavi take the Mojahedin and
National Council of Resistance
headquarters to Iraq.
June 1987 Mojahedin forces receive
training from the Iraqi army and the National Liberation Army of Iran (NLA)
is established. Maryam Rajavi appointed Deputy Commander in Chief of the NLA
by Massoud Rajavi.
7 December 1987 The French
government expel 14 Mojahedin members to Gabon a former French colony in
Africa. Mojahedin establish hunger strikes in front of French embassies in
Europe for over 40 days before the members are returned. Massoud Rajavi and
his wife Maryam Rajavi send messages of Resistance against the French
Government.
18 June 1988 Operation Chehel Cheraq
into Iran reaches Mehran city. The joint operation of Mojahedin and Iraqi
army is headed by Massoud and Maryam Rajavi.
3 July An Iranian airbus downed by
USS Vincennes. All 293 passengers killed. Massoud Rajavi condemned the US
action.
18 July 1988 Iran and Iraq accept UN
Security Council Resolution 598 to end their eight year war. Massoud Rajavi
and his wife Maryam Rajavi had claimed that the only way to peace is the
total overthrow of the Iranian Regime by Mojahedin.
25 July 1988 the Mojahedin headed by Massoud and Maryam Rajavi undertake
operation Forouq-e Javidan (aka Eternal Light or Mersad), a military invasion of Iran which is ambushed by
the Iranian military. Over 2000 Mojahedin forces are killed.
20 August 1988 cease-fire effective
between Iran and Iraq after eight years of war.
3rd June 1989 death of
Khomeini. Rajavi had claimed the the Iranian regime will be toppled by
losing its head. Contrary to his word, he did not launch an attack on Iran.
October 1989 Massoud Rajavi announces the
Internal Revolution. Maryam Rajavi is appointed Secretary General of the Mojahedin.
Massoud Rajavi declares himself Ideological Leader of the resistance movement.
Married members of Mojahedin are required by the leadership (Massoud and
Maryam Rajavi) to divorce.
1991 Massoud and Maryam Rajavi announce that the Mojahedin Central Committee
has been expanded to several hundred members.
February 1991 The Gulf War. Rajavi
orders children to be evacuated from Iraq and sent to the west for
fostering.
March 1991 Morvarid operation in
which Mojahedin forces use tanks to quell Kurdish rebellions in the north of
Iraq. The suppression ordered by Saddam Hussein, carried out by Mojahedin was
headed by Massoud and Maryam Rajavi.
18th October 1991 NLA (Mojahedin) military parade in
the presence of Massoud and Maryam Rajavi held in Ashraf camp, Iraq as a show of military strength.
19th October 1991 Eleven
more members added to the National Council of Resistance making it 22 strong.
April 1992 Iran bombs Mojahedin
bases in Iraq. Massoud and Maryam Rajavi survive the attack. Mojahedin
and National Council of Resistance launch simultaneous arson attacks on Iranian
embassies in thirteen western capitals.
21 December 1992 National Council of Resistance expanded from
21 to 150 members to include more Mojahedin personnel. NCRI officially becomes an extension of
the Rajavi cult.
August 1993 National Council of Resistance (headed by Rajavi) expanded to 235
members to include more Mojahedin personnel. National Council of Resistance sets up eighteen
committees. National Council of Resistance (headed by Massoud Rajavi) decides to
appoint Maryam Rajavi as President elect of the
Democratic Islamic Republic of Iran [after the overthrow of the current Islamic
Republic of Iran].
10th August 1993
Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) unanimously elect all-women Leadership Council of 12 members and 12 deputies.
The Mojahedin Central Committee is trebled from 1991 levels to 2,600
members.
October 1993 Maryam Rajavi made
President elect for the future Iran by the NCRI. Fahimeh Arvani appointed
Secretary General of the Mojahedin. Massoud Rajavi the Ideological leader of
the cult.
1993 Maryam Rajavi sent to France by Massoud Rajavi to
win back western political support.
1994 US Foreign Affairs Committee
commission the State Department to report on the Mojahedin (Rajavi Cult). The subsequent
report describes the Mojahedin as a personality cult and says that the
organisation is terrorist in nature.
August 1995 National Council of Resistance expanded to 560
members (all Mojahedin members). Committees increased from 18 to 25.
October 1995 Maryam Rajavi visits
Norway and addresses City Hall, Oslo on behalf of Mojahedin and National
Council of Resistance.
21 June 1996 Earl’s Court concert
held in London. Maryam Rajavi speaks.
June 1996 Maryam Rajavi speaks to a
private meeting of British parliamentarians.
August 1996 National Council of Resistance now has 572
members. Only 6 are political parties, including the Mojahedin organisation.
over 90 percent are officially from Mojahedin Khalq Organisation (Rajavi
Cult)
1996 Maryam Rajavi recalled to Iraq
by her husband Massoud Rajavi after the failure of her mission.
1996 UK Charity Commission begins
investigation into Iran Aid Charity over alleged fundraising for Mojahedin
and Rajavi cult.
1997 UK Charity Commission close
Iran Aid Charity.
1997 Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) withdraw all
personnel to Iraq. Launch at least ten cross-border attacks on Iran.
October 1997 US State Department
designates the Mojahedin headed by Rajavi a terrorist organisation according to the
Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of the same year.
April 1999 the Mojahedin headed by Massoud and Maryam Rajavi targeted key
Iranian military officers and assassinated the deputy chief of the Iranian
Armed Forces General Staff, Shirazi
February 2000 Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) launch
operation Great Bahman with a dozen military attacks against Iran.
April 2000 the Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) attempted to assassinate the commander of
the Nasr Headquarters, Tehran’s interagency board responsible for
coordinating policies on Iraq.
2000 United Kingdom lists Mojahedin (Rajavi cult)
as a proscribed organisation under the Terrorism Act 2000.
11 September 2001 Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) make no
comment on terrorism following the World Trade Centre disaster. Witnesses
say the event was celebrated in the group's bases throughout the world.
21 December 2001 German High Court
closes 25 Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) bases in Germany over social security misuse and fraud.
Several million marks had been used to buy weapons.
2000 and 2001 the Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) was involved regularly in 213 mortar attacks
and hit-and-run raids on Iranian military and law enforcement units and
government buildings near the Iran-Iraq border.
May 2002 European Union places
Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) on its list of terrorist entities.
18 April 2003 Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) armed
forces in Iraq agree a ceasefire with US Commanders.
20 April 2003 Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) armed
forces in Iraq agree to disarm under US control
3 June 2003 Australian Federal Police raid 10 Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) bases in
Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne
11 June 2003 Iranian students protest in Tehran
17 June 2003 French Police raid Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) headquarters in Paris - arrest
leader's wife Maryam Rajavi and over 150 other Mojahedin members on the orders of the anti-terrorist judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere
20 June 2003 Anniversary of Mojahedin's mass demonstration in Iran
1981
20 June 2003 Four Iranians (From Rajavi cult) have so far taken part in the fire protests in London this week, after the arrests in Paris of 150 members of the Iranian opposition group, the People's Mojahedin
or Rajavi cult.
24 July 2003 Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) in Iraq refuse to allow families into their
camps to visit their relatives
29 July 2003
News reports from Australia implicated Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) activists
in an arson attack on a French school
29 July 2003
Maryam Rajavi the co leader of Mojahedin
(Rajavi cult) in court.
French judge questions Rajavi for 6 hours
15 August 2003 US State Department Amends Terrorist Designation of Mojahedin-e Khalq
to add its aliases National Council of Resistance (NCR) and National Council
of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) now all official names for Rajavi cult are
listed.
September 2003 Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) repeatedly talked of as pawns in a power
game between the Pentagon and Iran
11 September 2003 Richard Boucher in a State Department Press
Briefing reiterated firstly that "the MEK (Mojahedin Khalq Organisation
of Rajavi cult) is a terrorist organization;
second of all, that we are not going to allow terrorist organizations to
exist or operate inside Iraq."
27 September 2003 Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) deny 300 families of Mojahedin members
access to their relatives
2 October 2003 US State Department re-designates the Mojahedin and
National Council of Resistance as terrorist entities
10 October 2003 Shirin Ebadi wins Nobel Peace Prize
14 October 2003 FOX News introduces Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) spokesman Alireza
Jafarzadeh as its Iran expert
14 October 2003 Canadian Judge Gladys MacPherson rules
Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) a terrorist organization prompting a crackdown on Mojahedin
finances and activities there
16 October 2003 'Transformations may mark demise of
Mojahedin'
22 October 2003 Continued speculation over a possible swap between
Iran held Al Qaida operatives and US held Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) operatives
28 October 2003
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee "We shouldn't have been signing a
cease-fire with a foreign terrorist organization."
6 November 2003 German Intelligence Service exposes a Mojahedin
(Rajavi cult) fraud
25 November 2003
Iran Ready to Offer Amnesty
for Low Ranking Mojahedin Khalq Organisation (Rajavi cult) Members: Jalil Talabani
3 December 2003 British House of Lords Debate says fall of Saddam
Hussein exposes Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) as international terrorists with six
massive military bases inside Iraq
10 December 2003 Iraqi Governing Council votes unanimously to expel
Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) from Iraq
26 December 2003 Earthquake in Bam, Iran
27 December 2003 Maryam Rajavi convenes meeting of top Mojahedin
(Rajavi cult)
officials in Europe to explore ways to exploit the Bam earthquake and raise
funds under this banner
30 December 2003 Al Jazeera airs videotape secretly filmed by Saddam
Hussein's Intelligence officials of Massoud Rajavi an Mojahedin accepting tanks, and
money from Saddam's Secret Service
6 January 2004 Seventeen Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) members in US captivity in Iraq
have links to Canada but Mojahedin will not let them go - demands whole
terrorist organization be taken out together
14 January 2004 American Red Cross implicated in involvement in a
Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) fundraiser ostensibly for Bam victims to be held January 24 to
promote Maryam Rajavi and raise funds
21 January 2004 US Attorney General John Ashcroft to investigate a
charity event for ties to an Iranian terrorist group (Mojahedin or Rajavi
cult) backed by Saddam
Hussein
22 January 2004 U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo backed out of plans to speak
at the fundraiser connected to the Mojahedin (Rajavi cult)
24 January 2004 Rajavi and
Mojahedin's financial contacts with foreign terrorists in Norway uncovered
24 January 2004 Former Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) members hold press conference in
Baghdad to demand help from the international community to free dissidents
inside the organization who are in Mojahedin and Rajavi prisons
27 January 2004 Iraqi newspaper Al Mada revealed Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) received
illegal oil money from Saddam
29 January 2004 Pentagon Advisor Richard Perle criticized for
speaking at Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) fundraiser
6 February 2004 Sky News reports film showing Rajavi and Mojahedin plotting with
Saddam's Security chief for terrorist activities inside and outside Iraq.
The film includes transfer of large amounts of money to finance the
operations or Rajavi and Mojahedin
16 March 2004 Families of Mojahedin members appeal to international
agencies to stop Rajavi cult from preventing them visiting their relatives
17 March 2004 Five
mojahedin members are killed in an armed clash with police in Iraq
14 April 2004 Italian police raid Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) bases in
Italy - seize large amounts of documents and computers. Italian police acted
to prevent the transfer of Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) HQ in Baghdad to Rome
15 April 2004 Canadian Intelligence Service briefs MP about Rajavi
cult
threat after he is misled into helping them
May 2004 US Department of State Patterns of Global Terrorism 2003
updates Mojahedin and National Council of Resistance (Rajavi cult) listing as terrorist entity
11 May 2004 Stat Roo
magazine reports 12 women Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) leaders have refugee status revoked in Germany
17 May 2004
Nejat Association reports the continuing arrival in Iran of dissenting
Mojahedin (Rajavi cult)
who have fled Ashraf camp. Dissent is rife inside the camp say the escapees
24 May 2004
UK Labour MP Steve McCabe accused of supporting terrorism as he attends
National Council of Resistance (Rajavi cult)
meeting. In August 2003 the USA designated the National council of
resistance (Rajavi cult) part of the MKO/PMOI (Mojahedin)
terrorist entity
14 June 2004 Win Griffiths, MP, Sir
Teddy Taylor, MP, an independent journalist and Iran-Interlink visit Ebrahim
Khodabandeh and Jamil Bassam and other Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) prisoners in Evin prison, Tehran
17 June 2004
Former Mojahedin and Rajavi cult members seminar in Paris to raise awareness of
Rajavi cult involvement in
Iraqi terrorism, war crimes and human rights abuses
17 June 2004
One year anniversary of arrest of Maryam Azdonlou (aka Rajavi) in Paris.
Azdonlou (Rajavi) is still awaiting trial on terrorism charges
30 June 2004
Ali Reza Jaafar Zadeh, Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) spokesman in FOX News, continues to be exposed as
a peddler of unsubstantiated rumours
9 July 2004
US Court of Appeals upholds decision that National Council of Resistance and
Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) are terrorist
entities
26 July 2004
Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) in Ashraf camp, Iraq granted 'protected status' under Fourth
Geneva Convention. US State Department stresses it still regards Mojahedin
(Rajavi cult) as a
terrorist entity and is in talks to repatriate individual members to Iran on
a voluntary basis
2 September
2004 Iranian judiciary prepares a complaint against Mojahedin (Rajavi
cult) to present
in to an Iraqi special court
13 September
2004 Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) duped Swedish schoolchildren into attending a pro-Mojahedin
demo in Brussels, along with paying tens of Afghan refugees to pose as
Iranian supporters
14 September
2004 Jack Straw, UK Foreign Secretary told reporters there were no
grounds for removing Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) from terror list: "they were and remain a terrorist
organization".
29 September
2004 Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) agent in Germany arrested after kidnap attempt on former
member in Cologne shopping street
30 September
2004 Chief U.S. weapons inspector Charles Duelfer reports Saddam
Hussein used the United Nations-managed Oil-for-Food program to provide
millions of dollars in subsidies to Mojahedin (Rajavi cult)
October 2004 First voluntary
repatriations begun from Camp Ashraf under auspices of Red Cross and Red
Crescent. Seven former Mojahedin members returned successfully to their
families.
19 November 2004 Antiwar Americans and
Iranians protest against Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) in Washington
20 November 2004 Draft statement for
Sharm Al Sheikh conference deals with Mojahedin Khalq or Rajavi cult as a foreign terrorist
group in Iraq
20 December 2004 A US federal appeals
court Monday reinstated indictments against seven defendants accused of
raising money for a terrorist organization Mojahedin Khalq or Rajavi cult with links to ousted Iraqi ruler
Saddam Hussein.
20 December 2004 28 former Mojahedin
(Rajavi cult)
members voluntarily repatriated from Camp Ashraf.
12 January 2005 13 former Mojahedin
(Rajavi cult)
members voluntarily repatriated from Camp Ashraf.
10 February 2005 German police ban
Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) rally in Berlin over fears of violence by the group.
24 February 2005 British academic Ali
Ansari wins public apology after slander trial over comments made in the
Mojahedin's book Enemies of the Ayatollahs by Mohammed Mohaddessin
(Representative of Rajavi cult).
Publisher Zed Books Ltd agreed not to republish the book and all relevant
copies of the book had been recalled and the offending material destroyed
25 February 2005 Over 230 former
Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) members attended a meeting in the ICRI office in Baghdad to
formally request to be freed and repatriated to Iran.
9 March 2005 A new group of 132 former
Mojahedin (Rajavi cult) members repatriated. Another group of 100 returned to Iran earlier
this month.
29 March 2005 former Mojahedin (Rajavi
cult) members
protest to French parliament to help free Rajavi's captives from Iraqi camp.