In Iran, convicted rioters appeal death sentence
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... Iran said Thursday it was studying the appeals of nine people who have been handed the death penalty over their involvements in plots. The nine, who were rounded up following the unrest that erupted after the election, will be executed if the Court of Appeal upholds the sentences ...
(Massoud Rajavi, leader of Washington backed terrorist cult)
Press TV, January 28, 2010
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117262§ionid=351020101
Iran said Thursday it was studying the appeals of nine people who have been handed the death penalty over their involvements in plots against the Islamic Republic following the June presidential election.
The nine, who were rounded up following the unrest that erupted after the election, will be executed if the Court of Appeal upholds the sentences.
They have been found guilty of the charges of being a Mohareb — an enemy of God — attempting to topple the Islamic establishment as well as their membership in the terrorist group Mojahedi Khalq Organization (MKO.)
The MKO has been responsible for numerous acts of violence against Iranian civilians and government officials.
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Iran executes 2 for deadly Shiraz bombing
Press TV, January 28, 2010
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=117257§ionid=351020101
Thirteen people died in the terrorist bombing of Shohada Mosque in Shiraz in April 2008
Iran executed two people who were convicted of carrying a deadly bombing in the southern city of Shiraz in 2008 that killed 13 civilians.
Tehran's Prosecutor's Office said Mohammad-Reza Ali-Zamani and Arash Rahmanipour were hanged on Thursday morning, Iran's Students News Agency reported.
The two were members of the Iran Royal Association, an obscure monarchist group that seeks to reestablish the Pahlavi reign in the country.
The group has been involved in a series of terrorist attack in the country.
The deadly Shiraz bombing claimed the lives of 13 people and left more than 200 Iranians wounded in April 2008.
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(Maryam Rajavi based in Terrorist group HQ in Paris!!)
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Also read:
http://www.iran-interlink.org/index.php?mod=view&id=7566
Washington Backed Mojahedin KHalq terrorist group (MKO, MEK, Rajavi cult) confirms arrest of members in Tehran
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... The anti-Iran terrorist group MKO has confirmed that five people arrested after last month's riots in Tehran are members of the organization.The Mojahedin Khalq Organization has told Amnesty International that the five were detained in the Iranian capital after the Ashura day riots on December 27 ...
Press TV, January 13, 2010
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=115997§ionid=351020101
The anti-Iran terrorist group MKO has confirmed that five people arrested after last month's riots in Tehran are members of the organization.
The Mojahedin Khalq Organization has told Amnesty International that the five were detained in the Iranian capital after the Ashura day riots on December 27.
The group says they had come from their one remaining base in Iraq.
On Friday, Tehran's public prosecutor announced that five people detained in connection with the recent riots in Tehran are members of the terrorist group.
MKO members fled to Iraq after Iran's Islamic Revolution. They then carried out a series of attacks across Iran, in which a large number of civilians and officials were killed.
The MKO is designated as a terrorist organization by many countries, including the United States.
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US denies role in Iran terror despite claims by LA group
Press TV, January 13, 2010
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=116030§ionid=3510203
Security officials at the scene of a remote-controlled bomb explosion in which an Iranian university lecturer was killed.
Even though a Los Angeles-based terror group claims responsibility for the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist in Tehran, Washington denies responsibility in the attack.
"The idea that charged the United States with having anything to do with a murder in Tehran in absurd," Gordon K Duguld, Deputy Spokesman of the US State Department said late Tuesday.
The American denial comes despite the fact the US-based monarchist group, the Iran Royal Association, declared responsibility for the terrorist attack only hours after the incident. It announced in a statement that its "Tondar Commandos" were behind the assassination of Dr. Massoud Ali-Mohammadi.
The obscure monarchist group, which seeks to reestablish the Pahlavi reign in Iran, operates a radio broadcast station in the United States and had previously stated that they were based in Los Angeles.
Washington, however, denied any knowledge of the group's statements.
"I'm unaware that this group has made any claim whatsoever," Duguld told the Press TV correspondent.
The Iran Royal Association, headed by Foroud Fouladvand, is also responsible for a deadly bombing in the southern Iranian city of Shiraz back in April 2008, during which 13 people were killed and hundreds were wounded.
Ali-Mohammadi, a lecturer at the University of Tehran and a devoted advocate of the Islamic Revolution, was killed when a booby-trapped motorbike exploded in front of his home in northern Tehran on Tuesday.
Iran charged Israel and the US with responsibility in the terrorist act based on their persistent threats against the Iranian nuclear program and their continued and public support of measures to destabilize the Islamic Republic.
"Primary investigations into the assassination revealed signs of the involvement of the Zionist regime [Israel], the US and their surrogates in Iran," the Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast said.
The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has also reacted to the remarks, saying that "any suggestion that the CIA played a role here is flat wrong."
The United States Congress has been legislating a yearly budget for more than two decades that is officially allocated for measures to destabilize and overthrow the Islamic government in Iran.
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Also read: The West must cut its terror ties . ... People in this region mentally note that the West, in some way or form, enables the efforts and activities of the Mojahedin-e Khalq while demanding action on terror. Today, Hillary Clinton is warning us about Yemen; can we be absolutely sure that such shadowy foreign policy tools aren’t being used there too?... The Daily Star, Editorial, January 06, 2010 The world has been put on notice that Yemen is a worrying center of activities by terrorists. The question is, how many other countries can be added to that list? The Daily Star is publishing an open letter to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, by Massoud Khodabandeh , a UK-based consultant who demands that the Mojahedin-e Khalq organization be brought under control. The group, which is termed “terrorist” by the United States, is allowed to operate freely in Germany, France and the United Kingdom, and its satellite programs are inciting violence on the streets of Iran. People in this region mentally note that the West, in some way or form, enables the efforts and activities of the Mojahedin-e Khalq while demanding action on terror. Today, Hillary Clinton is warning us about Yemen; can we be absolutely sure that such shadowy foreign policy tools aren’t being used there too? ------- Also: Open Letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown Show solidarity with Iranian people by curbing Mojahedin Khalq terrorists in London . ... Massoud Khodabandeh told the British Prime Minister, “we would expect that you act immediately to prevent the incitement to violence by the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq from inside the U.K. In doing so you would remove from Iranian hardliners their main excuse for crushing the people’s legitimate protests to bring about change in their own country.” ... CNBC, January 04, 2010 An open letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown , today asked his government to stop incitement to violence being broadcast into Iran by a terrorist group from London. Massoud Khodabandeh, of Leeds based Middle East Strategy Consultants , said, “The Iranian people’s courageous, peaceful demonstrations to achieve their natural freedoms and rights are being fatally undermined from within the U.K.” Khodabandeh said the Mojahedin-e Khalq (aka MKO, MEK, NCRI, PMOI, Rajavi cult) is broadcasting incitement to violence from London through its satellite programme Sima-ye Azadi . The group is also known to be financed through British based banks. “Britain, following Washington’s lead, has put herself in a position where she is seen to support terrorism. This is not in our interests.” said Khodabandeh. Hardliners in the Iranian government yesterday imposed zero tolerance on street protests after it was found that members of the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq cult had been dispatched to Iran to foment violence among the ordinary protestors. In August 2009, Massoud Khodabandeh published a second report following consultation with the Iraqi government on plans to expel the cult from Iraq. An Iraqi government official stressed that terror teams could not have been sent from Camp Ashraf after American forces handed over control of the terrorist base to Iraq in January 2009. Although the MKO remains on the U.S. terrorism list , the group operates freely from bases in Paris, London and Germany where the terrorist group’s members are “fully trained in terrorism and are ideologically committed to the violent overthrow of the Iranian government”. In the context of the nuclear issue, regime change would be a desirable outcome for the British government, but this “must not be pursued through the use of terrorism or terrorist groups”, said Khodabandeh. The letter said, “We cannot ask a terrorist group to renounce violence and give up terrorism. Instead we are asking your government to curb their activities in line with British law and with your government’s own stance on terrorism.” Massoud Khodabandeh told the British Prime Minister, “we would expect that you act immediately to prevent the incitement to violence by the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq from inside the U.K. In doing so you would remove from Iranian hardliners their main excuse for crushing the people’s legitimate protests to bring about change in their own country.” ENDS Note to editors * * * The original letter, Open Letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown Show solidarity with Iranian people by curbing Mojahedin Khalq terrorists in London Alongside your government, we applaud those ordinary Iranian citizens who are determined to exercise their right to have their voices heard. As your government says, “they are showing great courage”. The UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, has stressed that people had the right to protest peacefully without being beaten and jailed. We agree. It is a shame therefore that the Iranian people’s courageous, peaceful demonstrations to achieve their natural freedoms and rights are being fatally undermined from within the U.K.. The people of Iran deserve to be supported in their own efforts, on their own terms and should not be expected to shoulder the burden and pay the price of other agendas. Yet this is exactly what has happened over the past few days, weeks and even months. Clearly the essential problem your government has with Iran is over the nuclear issue. Should your government come to some agreement or should the US government accept a deal with Iran, would your government really be any more interested in the right of the Iranian people to protest freely against their government than you are currently interested in the rights of people in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, … . In this context, regime change would be a desirable outcome of the unrest inside Iran. But even if we accept that you, the US and the Israeli governments have the right, in your own interests, to work towards changing the government of another country, surely regime change (to establish a government which would accept the terms of US administration on the nuclear issue) must not be pursued through the use of terrorism or terrorist groups. Today, Iran’s Interior Ministry has ordered a complete crackdown - zero tolerance - on street protests on the grounds that the disturbances are being led by foreign interference (British, U.S., and Zionism) acted out by the Washington backed Mojahedin-e Khalq terrorist group. Unfortunately the Iranian government’s excuse for this appalling situation has come from within the U.K. itself. The hardliners in Iran have demonised Britain by broadcasting together clips from the BBC Persian Service and the terrorist group Mojahedin-e Khalq’s satellite programme Sima-ye Azadi. The link? Both are broadcast from London. Both are financed through banks in London. In recent days Sima-ye Azadi, as broadcast from London, has been incessantly inciting ordinary people to commit violence during the recent protests in Iran. The programme urges people to arm themselves with firearms and other weapons and to target government personnel and facilities. Iran’s security forces have arrested several individuals who claim to be MKO members who have been sent to Iran in order to incite violent resistance during anti-government protests. This includes the alleged assassination of Seyyed Ali Moussavi, nephew of former presidential candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi by MKO operatives. Interestingly, a source in the office of Iraq’s Prime Minister, Nouri Al Maliki, has confirmed that it would have been impossible for any MKO member to have been dispatched to Iran from Camp Ashraf in Iraq since the Government of Iraq took control of the camp in January 2009. However, the MKO’s members who live freely in Europe are fully trained in terrorism and are ideologically committed to the violent overthrow of the Iranian government. It is therefore most probable that these teams have been dispatched from here. Your government has criticized the violent crackdown on anti-government protesters. Unfortunately, your government has not made clear its position on the use of terrorist tactics during these protests. We cannot ask a terrorist group to renounce violence and give up terrorism. Instead we are asking your government to curb their activities in line with British law and with your government’s own stance on terrorism. The massive turnout to counter theprotest demonstrations and the severe government crackdown on anti-government street protests would not have been possible if it had not been for the involvement of the MKO. The severity of the response -reports suggest a turnout of over 3 million people in Tehran only - is not against the ordinary citizens of Iran but against a known terrorist group which has tried with western support to hijack the protest movement for a different agenda. Iranian government run media has broadcast telephone conversations from the MKO’s base in London, intercepted following the June election protests, in which an MKO leader is ordering terrorist acts in Tehran. Your government cannot have been unaware of this activity and yet has done nothing to prevent or prosecute those responsible under British law. Britain, following Washington’s lead, has put herself in a position where she is seen to support terrorism. This is not in our interests. The Mojahedin is known to Iranians inside and outside the country as a Washington/Zionist backed terrorist group. It is known worldwide as Saddam’s private army, responsible for the murder of tens of thousand of Iraqis, Iranian, Americans and Europeans. But, as you are aware, its media and financial support are based in London. We would expect that you act immediately to prevent the incitement to violence by the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq from inside the U.K.. In doing so you would remove from Iranian hardliners their main excuse for crushing the people’s legitimate protests to bring about change in their own country. I am sure your government has enough information on this situation, but if not, please feel free to contact me so that I can apprise you of these facts. -------- Also read: The hypocrisy of American bluster toward Iran (Ileana Ros-Lehtinen under the terrorist spotlight) A U.S. representative who accused Tehran of sponsoring terrorism has a track record of supporting terrorists herself. . ... Ros-Lehtinen also supports the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), a group by the State Department as a foreign terrorist group. Leading up to the Iraq war, in October 2002, Ros-Lehtinen circulated a letter in Congress expressing support for the MEK. She continues her support... By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich, LA Times, December 23, 2009 By now there is little doubt that hypocrisy has become Washington's standing policy on foreign affairs. What is astounding is the lack of shame in such overt duplicity as Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen's (R-Fla.) accusations in her Dec. 14 Times Op-Ed article that Iran is a state sponsor of terrorists -- when she herself has a track record of supporting terrorists. -------- Also read: In order to preserve the sovereignty and security of Iraq . ... And we are surprised that some, who speak of international law and standards, accept ignoring Iraq’s sovereignty by those who have come there [illegally] by insisting he wants to live where and when he wants to! Not to mention committing crimes against the population of his own country whenever he wishes to ... Mohammed Javad Al-Doreki, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to Belgium and the European Union, Asharq Al Awsat, January 2010 link to the original article (Arabic) New Iraq has inherited a heavy legacy from the former dictatorship, which not only suppressed and crushed the Iraqi people and made hundreds of mass graves, launched wars and invasions, but left on the ground in Iraq a camp inhabited by a group of terrorists, mercenaries, who make up the military wing of the MKO terrorists who were allied with the former regime and participated with his security forces in the brutal suppression and liquidation of Iraqis, Arabs and Kurds, during the popular uprising in 1991 after the failure of Saddam's invasion of Kuwait, and other events. The Iraqi people are familiar with the strong relationship that linked the organization with elements of the former regime and the coalition between them and the fateful military support and material submitted to it by the former system and they will never forget the blood of Iraqi children that has been lost at the hands of these terrorists, and now [the Iraqi people] insist on their right to bring them to trial and justice. This organization has not only committed numerous crimes against Iraqis under the former regime, but persists in blatantly interfering in the internal affairs of Iraq, this time allied with sectarian terrorist organizations in Diyala province, where, in order to raise sectarian war in Iraq, the camp is kept intact. The Iraqi government of national unity, under its obligation to protect the sovereignty, security and stability of Iraq and to preserve its national unity and territorial integrity and establish the best relations with neighbouring countries on the basis of respect for sovereignty and non-interference and mutual interest and commitment to respect, will apply the constitution, in which Article «7 - II» states that the State is committed to fighting terrorism in all its forms and to work to protect its territory from being a base or pathway or field for terrorist activities. The terrorist organization and its members living in the Camp of New Iraq – formerly Camp Ashraf – have the choice only to return voluntarily to their own country or to choose another country to go to, especially as more than a thousand of them hold foreign passports or have the right to reside in various other countries. In preparation for this, the group will be under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations and other international actors, taking into account the principles of human rights, for their transfer to another place where they are safe and which is appropriate as preparation for their departure from the land of Iraq to their own country voluntarily or other countries which accept to receive them. It is better for those who weep for them to exercise pressure on their own countries to accept them as refugees or in any other capacity rather than demand from the Iraqi government to maintain the outlaws who have contributed to the bloodshed of Iraqis. And we are surprised that some, who speak of international law and standards, accept ignoring Iraq’s sovereignty by those who have come there [illegally] by insisting he wants to live where and when he wants to! Not to mention committing crimes against the population of his own country whenever he wishes to. And all those who wish to know the reality of what is happening within the [MKO’s terrorist] camp, to know about the violation of human rights as reported by Human Rights Watch, and about the heinous crimes and mysterious and bizarre social life there, this has been narrated by a few residents of the camp (on the website: www.iran-interlink. org), who managed to escape from the artificial hell which controls the fate of the residents who are under all kinds of psychological pressure and intimidation by the leaders and traffickers, who have the luxury of living in Europe. * Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq To Belgium and the European Union ----------- Also read: From Second Report on Camp Ashraf and Mojahedin-e Khalq in Iraq:... ... The MKO’s western propaganda system includes Lord Corbett's system in the UK, Raymond Tanter's system in the U.S., Alejo Vidal-Quadras’s system in the EU and U.S. Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen ( http://ros-lehtinen.house.gov/). In Middle East circles it is widely believed that Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen is the orchestrator on behalf of AIPAC. She is also believed to be the person co-ordinating payment to the MKO through various channels (including the Lord Corbett system). She is originally from Cuba and it is believed that she uses the expertise of anti-Cuba consultants and PR agencies in support of the MKO... Full report: Second Report on Camp Ashraf and Mojahedin-e Khalq in Iraq
. . . . ... The MKO is currently demanding that U.S. Army or the U.N. take control of Camp Ashraf from the GOI. Following publication of the RAND Report it should be the duty of the U.S. Army to help and facilitate in any way possible the immediate closure of Camp Ashraf and the removal of the MKO personnel from Iraq. The more help given by the U.S. to achieve this, the more ... Reuters, September 22, 2009 For more information contact: Anne Singleton +44 (0) 113 278 0503 Link to the first report: ------------
Also read: Iraq’s decision to expel Washington backed Mojahedin Khalq terrorists backed by international law . ... “The MKO has committed the most savage crimes against Diyalah people. They were involved in killing and torturing the 1991 Iraqi Shiite Intifada activists close to the Iranian border in Khaniqain Road and north Diyalah. So there’s no end to their terror efforts and it is a military force used by Saddam Hussein against the Iraqi nation,” Eng. Layla Tamimi said ... Habilian Association, Baghdad, December 30, 2009 Development Centre held a conference in Baghdad on the government’s decision to expel the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) terrorist group. A number of Iraqi popular as well as media figures attended the conference, held in Baghdad Al-Mansour Hotel, to express their views on the issue, Habilian Association (families of Iranian terror victims) news website quoted Iraq’s Media Development Centre as reporting. -------------- Also read: Minister for Human Rights: Mojahedin Khalq will be removed shortly - MKO rights covered by Universal Declaration . ... Salim indicated that "the members of the MKO do not qualify as refugees, and are not covered by the Geneva Conventions, but the Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects them," noting that the Universal Declaration "stresses the need for humane treatment covered by it, in addition ... Aswat al-Iraq, Baghdad, December 20, 2009 (translated by Iran Interlink) Salim told Aswat al-Iraq that the Iraqi government "carried out the first steps towards moving the residents of Ashraf camp to another camp inside the capital Baghdad under the supervision of UN representation in Iraq, as well as the Red Cross and American forces." Salim indicated that "the members of the MKO do not qualify as refugees, and are not covered by the Geneva Conventions, but the Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects them," noting that the Universal Declaration "stresses the need for humane treatment covered by it, in addition to providing some of the items to them and ways to live without being forced to return to their home countries." She denied the Human Rights Ministry, which is responsible for a file on Ashraf camp, "has an intention [as part] of the Iraqi government to return them forcibly to their country of Iran, if they are unwilling. [The Ministry is] taking into account their transfer to a place where all available medical and social conditions of humanity exist, while ensuring their safe transportation and to not expose them to lack of these where they are. " In the same vein, Salim revealed, "the government approached the European countries to host them on their territory as refugees." Iraqi forces entered Camp Ashraf on the 15 December, where the members of the Iranian MKO live, to inform them of government's intention to transfer them to another camp in Baghdad in the coming days, and inviting elements of the Organization who wish to leave the camp to approach the Iraqi security forces stationed around the camp to take action on their behalf. ------- Also read: Iraqi MPs support the transfer of Mojahedin Khalq to Baghdad Demand America respect Iraqi sovereignty and invite them to take responsibility for protecting MKO . ... the Government would deal with members of the People's Mojahedin Organization humanely, but at the same time we want the United States to respect our decision and comply with non-interference in the internal affairs and sovereignty over Iraq’s territory, as we do not want to alienate our relations with neighbouring countries ... Aswatal-Iraq, Baghdad, December 14, 2009 Translated by Iran Interlink BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi lawmakers on Monday expressed support for the Government plan to transfer members of the Mojahedin Khalq, an Iranian opposition, to Baghdad, calling on the U.S. Government to respect the decision as a sovereign right of Iraq. But the Vice-Council has urged the U.S. Government to take over responsibility for security for the camp’s members who should be transferred to the U.S. Forces. The MP, Abdul Hadi al-Hassani, said in respect of the rule of law, the Government would deal with members of the People's Mojahedin Organization humanely, but at the same time we want the United States to respect our decision and comply with non-interference in the internal affairs and sovereignty over Iraq’s territory, as we do not want to alienate our relations with neighbouring countries. Mr al-Hassani told Aswat al-Iraq that the Iraqi Government sees "the need to remove the MKO from the Iranian border and the PKK from the Turkish border," pointing out that the two sides "are a danger to Iraq's relations with its neighbours ". He explained that the Government's holds documents and pictures which are compelling evidence "which condemns the members of the MKO and the PKK for their armed operations during the former regime and the current phase." The United States yesterday called on the Iraqi government to treat the Iranian dissidents, living on Iraqi territory for twenty years, humanely following the announcement of the transfer of the MEK camp to Baghdad. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said in a statement from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, we urged the Iraqi authorities to go about the transfer of Camp Ashraf in a legitimate and humanitarian way, emphasizing Iraqi sovereignty over all Iraqi territory, including the area on which Camp Ashraf stands. And the Iraqi government assured us that "it would not expel any of these persons to a country where they may face inhuman treatment”. On the other hand, the Deputy of the Iraqi National Coalition, Hamid Malp, in a statement rejected the U.S. State Department demand that the Iraqi government deal humanely with the members of the MKO which were involved in terrorism in Iraq during the former regime as well as now embracing armed groups in Diyala and Baghdad." Malp told (Voices of Iraq) that there is intelligence information with the Government which "emphasizes the organization and financing of a link from some quarters outside the law." In an afterthought he said "his forces would take the decision to hold people accountable only after support and documentation of this information," he says. Malp said that the transfer to the MKO camp to Baghdad, "will lead to positive results in the various sectors," pointing out that the Organization's presence in Diyala has been "a controversial subject for a long time." The Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Thursday, 10 December, that the population of Camp New Iraq (formerly Camp Ashraf) would be transferred next week to Baghdad. The Iraqi Government took over responsibility for security inside Camp Ashraf from U.S. forces early this year and re-named it Camp New Iraq in August. In the same context, Mohammed Tamim, MP for the Dialogue Council, said the U.S. State Department's demand for the Iraqi government to deal with the MKO humanely was "insufficient" and called on U.S. forces to "take over security responsibility for the camp, so the Iraqi government can transfer members of the organization to the U.S." Tamim told Aswat al-Iraq that the decision to transfer the members of the Mojahedin from Camp Ashraf to Baghdad after two days of bombings (Bloody Tuesday) was "erroneous and imported from Iran." He said the decision was a “negative step resulting from the Iraqi Government’s efforts to convince the Iranians that the MKO was behind explosions that occur in the country". Attorney Tamim said that the people of Camp Ashraf are "refugees, entitled to Iraqi Government help to provide an appropriate atmosphere to them after their escape from a terrorist group, such as is the obligation of the Arab and international community.” According to the MP from the Kurdistan Alliance bloc Abdul Bari Zebari, "the Iraqi Government condemns the group for their documented participation in the suppression of the popular uprising in 1991 and attack on the worshipers in a mosque in Sadr City in Baghdad the same year, and that the regime of Saddam Hussein used the MKO to attack his opponents." Zebari told Aswat al-Iraq that he believed that the Government "only took the decision to transfer the group to Baghdad after discussion with the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and after guaranteeing the members of the Organization would not be exposed to danger”. He added, "For the time being we should not repeat the process of involving the embassy in local affairs as happened when Iraqi security forces entered into Camp Ashraf for the establishment of a police base inside it." The Mojahedin Khalq, an Iranian opposition group, numbers about 3500 people, based in Camp Ashraf, which covers an area of 16 square kilometres, 55 km north of Baquba, capital of Diyala province where it has been based since 1986.
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7543
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=17&article_id=110351
Meanwhile, the Iranian authorities are claiming that some of those arrested in the demonstrations and clashes are Mojahedin-e Khalq members, purportedly acting with the connivance of Western intelligence agencies.
Whatever the exact degree of Western involvement with the Mojahedin-e Khalq, the group remains a candidate for partnership with Western governments, who preach about fighting terror.
The Mojahedin-e Khalq might be a footnote in the wider struggle, but it’s the nail that punctures the great powers’ approach to Iran. Why harbor the group if it’s terrorist? If the West can’t agree on who’s a terrorist, how do they expect an agreement with the Muslim world?
The partisans of the Mojahedin-e Khalq aren’t just reporting the news from London; they’re inciting and agitating, and acting as a fifth column (whatever their actual size). They help ensure that the dispute between factions in Iran takes a course that leaves behind any possibility of reasonable settlement.
Similar credibility damage has come from Blackwater in Iraq, and the larger Private Military Contractor phenomenon. Many Iraqis have suffered the exactions of these mercenaries; last week, a group of Blackwater employees found out that they wouldn’t have to stand trial for murder. People hear the stories of Blackwater, and the Mojahedin-e Khalq, and all of the Obama administration’s rhetoric of fighting extremists and violence goes out the window.
Even worse, people assume that the West actually seeks a clash with the Muslim world, by allowing these harmful elements to survive or flourish.
If the West wants to go forward with new sanctions on Iran, and seeks regional and international support, it simply must clean up its act. It can’t allow these terrorists and non-state actors to wreck the chances for making a real fight against the economic underdevelopment and political illegitimacy that plagues us, and that incubates the terror that Washington is so worried about.
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7518
http://www.cnbc.com/id/34686287
also:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS99721+04-Jan-2010+PRN20100104
Massoud Khodabandeh is the director of Middle East Strategy Consultants Ltd which also operates the information website www.Iran-Interlink.org . Mr Khodabandeh has been involved in Middle East politics for over thirty years and is a leading expert on the Mojahedin-e Khalq organisation. Since 2008 he has acted as consultant to the Government of Iraq on plans to expel foreign terrorist groups.
Massoud Khodabandeh, January 04, 2010
Dear Gordon Brown,
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7467
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-oew-ulrich23-2009dec23,0,1257966.story
In February 1988, Orlando Bosch was arrested in Miami and implicated in the 1976 plot to blow up Cubana Flight 455, a terrorist act that killed 73 passengers. Joe D. Whitley, the associate U.S. attorney general at the time, called Bosch "a terrorist, unfettered by laws or human decency, threatening and inflicting violence without regard to the identity of his victims." Bosch, however, had the distinct advantage of having Ros-Lehtinen make advocating for his release one of the cornerstones of her 1989 congressional campaign. Bosch had another advantage: Ros-Lehtinen's campaign manager was Jeb Bush, President George H.W. Bush's son. In 1990, after lobbying by Jeb Bush and Ros-Lehtinen, the Bush administration went against the Justice Department's recommendation to deport Bosch and authorized his release. Since then, Bosch has become a permanent resident of the United States.
Ros-Lehtinen also supports the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), a group by the State Department as a foreign terrorist group. Leading up to the Iraq war, in October 2002, Ros-Lehtinen circulated a letter in Congress expressing support for the MEK. She continues her support.
Common sense dictates that Iran would want security in its two neighboring countries given the spillover effect. By now, it is also common knowledge that the Sunni Taliban and Shiite Iran have been hostile toward each other for years (several Iranian diplomats were killed by the Taliban in 1998), and no doubt this hostility led to Iran's decision to assist the Northern Alliance and the U.S. in efforts in the overthrow of the Taliban after the 9/11 attacks -- efforts that were rewarded with the infamous "axis of evil" brand. Yet Ros-Lehtinen would insult the American public's intelligence by telling them that Iran, without mentioning any history, has a hand in Afghanistan. Does Ros-Lehtinen ever wonder if other countries simply do not welcome occupation by any foreign force?
One has to question what motivates Ros-Lehtinen in her push to put financial sanctions on foreign and domestic companies that sell refined petroleum products to Iran. Doing so could lead to more job losses in America and more hostilities between U.S. allies and Iran. This is a time when our policy makers should be thinking about America and Americans, period.
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich is an independent researcher and writer living in Glendale.
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7603
(Translated by Iran Interlink)
http://www.aawsat.com/leader.asp?section=3&issueno=11356&article=550698
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=6962
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=6962
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS123753+22-Sep-2009+PRN20090922Iran-Interlink.org has published a second report on Camp Ashraf, Iraq and the situation of Mojahedin-e Khalq (aka MKO, MEK) cult members at the camp. After consultation with the Government of Iraq, Massoud Khodabandeh has described events since January 1, 2009.
According to the report, Iraq is determined to rid itself of the foreign terrorist cult led by Massoud and Maryam Rajavi as soon as possible, but is hampered by western intransigence over where these people should go.
The 3416 individuals inside Camp Ashraf have no legal status in Iraq. They are not entitled to 'protected persons' status under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Neither will they be granted political refugee status by Iraq. Nor will Iraq forcibly repatriate them. But, although the MKO has been de-proscribed, at its own behest, as a terrorist group in Europe, no western country is willing to offer asylum to the individuals -- even though 1015 MKO members have a passport or residence permit of a third country.
After months of fruitless negotiations with MKO leaders -- with U.S. observation -- a police post was established inside Camp Ashraf at the end of July. In spite of violent resistance by the MKO which led to 11 deaths, the camp residents are now subject to Iraqi law. Following evidence that MKO leaders were committing widespread and systematic human rights abuses inside the camp, the Iraqi Human Rights Ministry, in conjunction with international humanitarian agencies, is now set to properly monitor activity at the camp.
Massoud Khodabandeh made several recommendations in his report. The Government of Iraq should remove around seventy MKO leaders in order to protect the rank and file members from human rights abuses and coercion. The camp must be thoroughly searched -- something the U.S. Army failed to do since 2003.
Stressing that western governments bear a responsibility toward the MKO's victims trapped inside Camp Ashraf, Mr. Khodabandeh says that western politicians must prevent further political abuse of MKO members by the Rajavi leadership and guarantee the rights of those individuals who renounce violence and are willing to return to society. European governments should work with Iraq and the UN to find third countries to which other individuals in Camp Ashraf can be transferred.
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=4095
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7489
http://www.habilian.com/view-en.asp?ID=04918
Dr Adnan Siraj, head of Iraq’s Media Development Centre, Dr Hassan Salman, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Iraqi Media Network (IMN), Dr Tariq Harb, Iraqi well known lawyer, Dr Ali Shalah, member of the Board of Trustees of the IMN, and Eng. Layla Tamimi were the main guest speakers.
“Iraq doesn’t recognize the MKO”
“The MKO cooperated with Iraq’s enemies through holding meetings with Iraqi dissidents following the fall of Saddam Hussein. This led to the government’s decision to expel any terrorist groups, including the MKO, from the country,” Dr Adnan Siraj said.
“The MKO has forgotten that it is a terrorist group recognized neither by Iraq nor the rest of the world. They were doomed to leave Camp Ashraf in December 15 so that they would be moved to any country who would accept them. Camp Ashraf, the cult’s main base in Diyalah province, will turn into a public entertainment centre for the local people,” Siraj added.
“MKO not asylum-seekers”
“At one time, the MKO had tanks and light and heavy artillery and moved to Iraq upon a political decision by the then Iraqi regime at the height of Iran-Iraq war. There was also a Western agreement behind this. Therefore, the cult members cannot be regarded as asylum-seekers, since they left Iran for France and then were moved to Iraq by France and Britain,” Dr Hassan Salman said.
“The cult’s presence in Iraq thus could be regarded as a political, military and security decision. The MKO is regarded as a terrorist organization by the US and many other countries,” Salman said, who was recently threatened to death by the terrorist cult.
“The cult didn’t enter Iraq as usual asylum-seekers but as a result of a political decision to be used against Iranian and Iraqi people,” Dr Ali Shalah repeated referring to problems made by the MKO’s presence in Iraq.
“Iraq’s decision backed by international law”
“The Iraqi government’s decision to expel terrorist groups is backed not only by the Iraqi Constitution but also international law,” Dr Tariq Harb insisted.
“According to the international law, any country can make their own laws on giving asylum. The MKO terrorist cult has no lawful right to stay in Iraq,” Harb reminded.
“MKO involved in Iraqi massacres”
“The MKO has committed the most savage crimes against Diyalah people. They were involved in killing and torturing the 1991 Iraqi Shiite Intifada activists close to the Iranian border in Khaniqain Road and north Diyalah. So there’s no end to their terror efforts and it is a military force used by Saddam Hussein against the Iraqi nation,” Eng. Layla Tamimi said.
http://iran-interlink.org/index.php?mod=view&id=7456
link to the original (Arabic)
http://ar.aswataliraq.info/index.php?s
=%D9%88%D8%AC%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%86
BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraq’s Minister of Human Rights Ms. Widjan M. Salim, said on Sunday that the entry into the camp under the supervision of the Iraqi forces was a move "first" to inform them of the determination of the Iraqi government to move them to a camp in Baghdad.
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=7407
link to the original (Arabic)
http://ar.aswataliraq.info/?p=188596