Irandidban's reply to the letter of Mr. Griffiths
September 22, 2004

Dear Mr. Win Griffiths,

Irandidban was informed of your meeting with Mr. Khodabandeh and Mr. Bassam by the article of Anne Singleton and her report of the meeting was published in the website.

There was no conclusion or interpretation by Irandidban itself. And in order to prove our impartiality, we published your reply in the site. So, we are afraid of your immediate judgment and conclusion and of course we know the reason of that.

Inverted cycle you've considered (or as you say "you've been told) is due to this fact that you've been told that Iran Didban belongs to Intelligence Ministry; and there's no doubt that those who have suggested this wanted to conclude that the report of Anne Singleton has been dictated by Intelligence Ministry and therefore pretend that Irandidban has abused the report of your meeting.

Introducing all opponents as "mercenaries of the Iranian regime and regime's Intelligence Ministry" is Mojahedin's old trick. But this fact that a statesman relies on Mojahedin for receiving reports is really regrettable.

Of course you know that your judgment about the affairs or Iran, Mojahedin-e Khalq and their opponents should be based on a wide view of all aspects of this complicated issue.

In this regard, we inform Your Excellency that Iran Didban has published 5900 titles (including books, articles, news, and international views) about Mojahedin in the website. How is it possible to reject all facts and revelations (of the people who used to cooperate with this group for more than three decades) only by this allegation that "this website belongs to Intelligence Ministry"?

We have credible reports indicating that Mojahedin-e khalq have banned their supporters and sympathizers of visiting our website, and members of this group have no access to internet.

Your Excellency,

Iran Didban has expressed no comments on your meeting, put aside abusing its report. Iran Didban has only published three articles from Iran-Interlink in this regard (one of which was the letter of Mr. Khodabandeh's daughter) and if Singleton's report has been written unrealistically, she should answer herself.

Mr. Khodabandeh and Mrs. Singleton, who run Iran-Interlink website, are brave people who had earlier (9th August 2004) asked you for a face to face debate on Mojahedin-e Khalq. We bring their request here again to remind you of that:

"Through your mediation we would again like to invite Mr and Mrs Rajavi as leaders of the ‘Iranian Resistance’, or their representatives, to take part in a free and open live discussion with other opposition groups and personalities, on the basis of their claim that: the ‘Iranian Resistance’ is an independent and democratic opposition which is working to bring freedom and democracy to Iran, in addition to any other issues" which they would like to bring to the table including their ideology, strategy and their tactics over the past 30 years."

Those who follow the affairs of MKO wonder why Your Excellency and Mojahedin-e khalq avoid answering this request.

Isn't it better to talk about basic issues in such an atmosphere – instead of talking vainly about Intelligence Ministry and bringing the name of Iran Didban?!

Your Excellency,

Deciding about offering general amnesty to MKO members and negotiating with them is in the hands of Iranian statesmen, not Iran Didban or Mrs. Singleton. But as you are aware, Iran has offered such an amnesty by the Iranian President and by Judiciary.

You are aware of (and have pointed to ) this fact that the history of MKO's violence goes back to 80s during which Mojahedin created a bloodbath and –according to the reports Iran Didban is gathering- killed 16000 people in the street clashes and in the war fronts. Certainly you mean that Moajedin's issue should be talked while considering these records! Nearly two years after the revolution in Iran, when Iran had been attacked by a foreign enemy, Mojahedin took out their guns.

Your Excellency,

Is it similar to resistance against Nazis?

Can you call it "an attempt to establish democracy"?

Isn't there anything else to get to freedom except weapons, arms, bombings and violence?

Dear Mr. Griffiths,

Although you've addressed Mrs. Singleton and she should answer you, we bring some notes on meeting with Mr. Bassam and Mr. Khodabandeh and also about the nature of Mojahedin-e Khalq. We hope we can take a positive step in describing terrorism and violence in Iran for Your Excellency and your partners in the UK Parliament.

Although you've used several "buts and ifs" in the case of meeting Mr. Bassam and Mr. Khodabandeh, the nature of the issue- that they've not been tortured physically or that you've been allowed to meet them- has made you uncertain "that their highly critical accounts of the PMOI/MKO were the outcome of quiet contemplation unencumbered by any pressures, physical or psychological, from the Iranian regime."

On the other hand, you have said that "not committing suicide in Ashraf" proves that "there's no brainwashing by Mojahedin"?!

So, according to your method, we should accept what quoted for us, not what we see!

Saving your grace, we should remind that all audience of Ms. Elahe Azim Far – who accepted her comments about Ibrahim and Jamil being under brutal tortures and the danger of execution- follow such method!

Dear Mr. Griffiths,

Which one is the easiest for you? To commit suicide or to push away your wife and leave your children and accept absolute ownership of a person on your body and soul?!

MKO members are doing such a thing all the time. This is the outcome of brainwashing that has kept isolated MKO members away from media and communication for 20 years only for a dream which never comes true.

Although many MKO members (those who couldn't tolerate a big contradiction) have committed suicide during these years, those who stay kill their mind and soul everyday.

You've said that Mojahedin were surprised, like you, of visit being granted! Of course, this is natural because this put them politically in deadlock and deprived them from propagandistic activities about torture and execution; activities which were done systematically by the group and by using some members of UK Parliament.

There's also another reason to be surprised that is "breaking of the wall of delusion that the leader of MKO had built and by which he took MKO members to serve Saddam."

In this regard, it should be noted that for years defectors, dissident members and … have come to Iran willingly but they have never seen the bars of Iranian prisons. Unfortunately, Bassam and Khodabandeh have been engaged in legal process otherwise they would have better situation than this.

Your Excellency,

You have said that you have never heard of Mojahedin bribing foreign supporters. For your information, we have published an article "MKO-US, From Hostility to the Need" (available in Farsi and English) in which shocking documents about bribing supporters in the congress by this group have been revealed. You can also find them in "Antiwar", "Iran Brief", "Insight Magazine", and "Capital Report".

This is a known method of Mojahedin and it's surprising that you, honestly and based on your beliefs, support them!