Iran regime's disinformation campaign against PMOI: Mullahs conspire against Iranian asylum seekers

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
Friday, 25 August 2006

NCRI - The mullahs’ regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) churned out an entirely baseless report, claiming, “Four dissatisfied members of the Mojahedin managed to take advantage of the circumstances and flee Camp Ashraf to Turkey.” The mullahs’ notorious Intelligence Ministry also claimed that the four people escaped “in the lead up to the Mojahedin’s annual meetings in Camp Ashraf”. Websites affiliated to the MOIS wrote in this regard, “On August 14, four members of the Mojahedin called Salim Ghafouri, Mohsen Shahmoradi, Alireza Kayghobadi and Fatimeh Javadi illegally fled Iraq and entered Turkey. But, they were arrested there. Following coordination between the Turkish Interior Ministry and the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Ankara, on August 21, all four were handed over to the Iranian regime.”

In this respect, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran announced that no individuals by these names have ever been among its members, and the claim made by the notorious MOIS about such people fleeing Ashraf is completely fake and fabricated. It is possible that the regime and its operatives deliberately attempted to link asylum seekers with these names to the PMOI in order to torture or murder them.

The Iranian Resistance strongly condemns any form of extradition of Iranian asylum seekers and refugees as a shameful crime against humanity and a blatant violation of the United Nations charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It highlights the case of Mr. Hojjat Zamani, a PMOI member, who managed to flee the regime’s torture chambers and secretly travel to Turkey in August 2003 but was arrested by Turkish officials in cooperation with the Iranian regime’s security services and extradited to Iran. In February 2006, he was hanged in a torture center in Gohar-Dasht Prison in the city of Karaj.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
August 25, 2006

We Caged the Wrong Bird

We Caged the Wrong Bird

Daniel Pipes Blog Entry: Washington Puzzles over the Mujahedeen-e Khalq
By Russell Wohlford, Aug 24, 2006

I was in Iraq in 2003-04. I was there when the MEK peacefully capitulated and turned over their arms. I was a member of a team that verified the small arms and crew-served weapons that had been turned in. We checked serial numbers, in some cases, and compared the raw number of weapons present to the unit records they provided us.

Several members of each MEK company accompanied us to facilitate the count. They were very friendly, considering the circumstances, and quite helpful when there were difficulties in determining the exact type of each weapon... It could have been an annoying day but our "hosts" were so amiable and quite frankly we could not have completed our task without their assistance. I spoke to many of the MEK that day, some used pidgin English, some were quite fluent. Many of them were students, teachers, or professors before the Islamic Revolution with a sprinkling of ex-Iranian military. Each mujahid I spoke to related his or her story in brief and they universally expressed the hope that they would be part of the force that went into Iran to liberate that state...

For the record, I would have been honored to fight along their side against the Islamic Revolution and most of the guys, the joes, would have too. I wonder if they still trust us enough to help out when we need them. I would also like to say that it infuriated us that we had these guys penned up in their compounds while SCIRI and the Badr Corps were running rampant all over the Diyala Province. We caged the wrong bird.

Iran - MEP Paulo Casaca: Advocates of terrorism and secular violence in Iraq agitate against PMOI

NCRI
Saturday, 19 August 2006

The sit-in by Iranian exiles in Geneva, opposite the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) building, entered its third week today as a number of European dignitaries joined the event to express their solidarity with the main opposition group of the Iranian Resistance (PMOI).

Co-Chairman of Friends of a Free Iran Committee in the European Parliament, Mr. Paulo Casaca, joined the sit-in and mentioned that he considers himself as family to those in Ashraf City (PMOI main base in Iraq). "The people in Ashraf are among the most dignified and intelligent freedom-loving people who have been struggling against fundamentalism. I had the opportunity to visit Ashraf twice. It was there that I realized the PMOI is the most progressive and democratic liberation movement not only in the Middle East but in the entire world. Regrettably, the world has always realized the veracity of the PMOI's viewpoints with delay.”

Mr. Casaca added, "At a time the Iranian regime moved to build an Islamic Caliphate [Empire] in the Middle East no one took the PMOI’s warnings seriously… The Mojahedin disclosed the regime's clandestine nuclear program for the first time. The world, however, realized the truth of their revelations too late. The totalitarian religious regime in Iran pressures the Iraqi government in a conspiracy against the PMOI in Iraq. They have been deprived of food and fuel rations and their water pipelines have been blown up…" He reiterated that PMOI members have been considered as political refugees since 1986 and added that this needs to be reaffirmed by the Iraqi government again… Mr. Casaca said that political asylum status for the PMOI was not the only concern, and that “they are messengers of peace and freedom who should be supported. No doubt, we will prevail through our unity, resolve and endeavors."

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
August 18, 2006

Iran regime's meddling in Iraq poses grave threat to coalition forces – UK parliament committee

NCRI
Thursday, 17 August 2006

The British Parliament's Select Committee on Defense published a report saying that the Iranian regime's meddling in Iraq and sending arms and ammunition to that country is a grave threat to the coalition forces.

The report entitled "Iranian influence and border security" says: During our visit to Iraq, we heard that Iranian influence was historically very strong in South Eastern Iraq. One politician we met in Baghdad even remarked that Basra was an Iraqi city with an Iranian administration. UK commanders had no doubt that specialist weaponry and IED technology was being smuggled into the region from Iran...

The report cited the UK Defense Minister as saying: "We do know about the technology; we know where that technology has been developed …It is not something which has grown organically; it has been transferred in and has come from people who have been trained in that technology. So it is quite clear that that is happening…That is part of the global terrorism network."

The report also cited the Secretary of State for Defense telling the House: "We are very aware of the malign influence that interference by those outside Iraq's borders can have on its politics and destiny…That is significantly high in our interest and that of the Iraqi Government, and will figure in the Basra security plan." He continued to say: "Some of them [the weapons] are believed to have their roots in Iran… However, those sophisticated weapons pose a considerable threat to our forces."

The report adds: "Establishing greater border security is a key challenge for the Coalition troops and Iraqi Security Forces.

"We were given differing assessments of the extent of the smuggling of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) across the border from Iran but we remain troubled about the implications of any such smuggling for the security of our forces and Iraqi civilians. Given the apparent ease with which IED technology can be smuggled across the border with Iran, we were pleased to hear of plans to support and develop both the Iraqi Navy and the Border Forces to help contain this threat," the UK Parliament's Defense Committee noted.

UN rights body hears of Iran regime’s threats in Iraq

NCRI
Wednesday, 16 August 2006

The UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights heard a statement by a Euro MP on the Iranian regime’s meddling in Iraq and its ploy to eliminate its main opposition, the People’s Mojahedin (PMOI), based in Ashraf City in Iraq.

Speaking at the fifty-eighth session of the UN body in Geneva on Monday, August 14, Paulo Casaca, MEP from Portugal, enumerated mullahs’ terrorist activities in Iraq and called on the UNHCR to reaffirm the political refugee status of the PMOI members in Iraq. The following are excerpts from his statement:

As a member of the European Parliament and as a long-time activist of the cause of human rights, it is for me a great honor, Mr. President, to be able to contribute to the worthy mission of your sub-committee - and specifically to the struggle against violations of human rights of such importance as the respect of the rights of refugees.

In the name of all those relatives of Iranian refugees in Iraq - that came here to Geneva to call for international help - and of all those million Iraqis who are now being forced to be exiled in their own country - or sometimes in their Western neighbor countries - I would also like to convey my deepest gratitude to the Women's Human Rights International Association that sponsored this intervention.

Being in the human-rights sub-committee in Geneva, I have necessarily to pay my respects to one of the most famous political refugees that this generous city gave shelter to, Mr. Kazem Rajavi, who was murdered here, in a blatant disrespect not only for his human rights but also for this city, for this Committee and for the concept of refugee rights.

Mr. President: the right of refuge, be it in religious temples, country embassies or foreign countries has been one of the eldest and most sensitive human rights, the non-respect for it being one of the most certain symbols of the existence of severe human-rights disruptions.

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) have been in Iraq for twenty years, fully enjoying political refugee status until 2003, and as protected persons under the IVth Geneva Convention afterwards, as following 16 months of investigations, in July 2004, the United States-led Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF-I) recognized that all the accusations made against them were unsubstantiated.

As I was able to testify personally in two missions to Ashraf City in 2004 and 2005, apart from the civic intervention in support of the Iraqi people - be it in water supply, medical treatment, logistic center for free discussions among different Iraqi parties and associations - they never interfered in Iraq's internal affairs.

This is the main reason why five million two hundred thousand Iraqis signed a petition supporting the refugee rights of the PMOI; Iraqis know who their friends are!.... Read More

Iraqi Christian Democratic Movement (CDMI) reiterates Iranian Mojahedin’s right to asylum

NCRI
Tuesday, 15 August 2006

In a statement the CDMI said, "The Iranian regime's meddling in Iraq does not recognize any boundaries. Dozens of people are falling victim to the Iranian regime's greed every day; in its recent remarks, the Iranian regime has called for the PMOI’s expulsion from Iraq. During its 20-year presence in Iraq, the PMOI has kept a neutral position in Iraqi internal affairs; a position which has been confirmed by 5.2 million Iraqis citizens. Thus, according to both international and Iraqi civil laws they are considered to be political refugees."

The statement, signed by the Reverend Bardleyan Youssef, Secretary General of the CDMI, declares, "The CDMI calls on the Iraqi government to respect the rights of the PMOI and prevent its members from having to face pressures such as cutting off of their food, fuel, and medicine rations, and stop the agents of the Iranian regime from committing crimes such as blowing up the water pipelines for the PMOI’s camp."

The statement adds, "We consider the fair treatment of the PMOI by the Iraqi government as an indication of its obligations to the national reconciliation plan and international treaties as well as its commitment to the maintain independence."

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
August 13, 2006

Living in Hell: Baghdad Diary

TIME Magazine
Aug. 14, 2006

The government's standard response to each new outrage is to deny that police were involved and instead finger "criminal gangs" wearing knockoff uniforms and using stolen weapons and vehicles. Occasionally, blame is directed at the militias but never by name. After all, the political groups that control the militias are key components of the Shi'ite coalition that has the most seats in parliament and that includes al-Maliki's party. The only militia to feel the Prime Minister's "iron fist" was the toothless Mujahedin-e-Khalq, a small, unarmed band of Iranian rebels dedicated to toppling the regime in Tehran; it had been confined to a single base outside Baghdad and was monitored by the U.S. Nobody had accused the Mujahedin-e-Khalq of any atrocities on Iraqi soil, and al-Maliki's decision to evict the group smacked of tokenism. Sunni politicians seized on the eviction as proof that al-Maliki was doing Tehran's bidding...

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister reaffirms Iranian Mojahedin’s right to stay in Iraq

NCR-Iran
August 9, 2006

Al-Iraq al-Youm daily, August 9, 2006, Page 1 - Dr. Salam Zubai, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for security and services affairs, strongly and officially denied in a press statement comments attributed to him by Badr weekly, August 6, on the expulsion of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran from Iraq, describing it as void of any truth.

The Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed the People’s Mojahedin’s legal right to stay in Iraq as political refugees and said: “In addition, the Mojahedin enjoy a legal status as protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention and are protected by U.S. forces.”

It should be reminded that the most important Iraqi political leaders and personalities and some parliamentary groups have in recent weeks condemned the mullahs’ regime’s conspiracies against the presence of PMOI members in Iraq and reaffirmed their legal rights as political refugees in statements and many interviews in the media.

Dr. Adnan al-Dulaimi, secretary general of the Iraqi People’s Congress, stated that the presence of this organization in Iraq is based on Iraqi and international laws. We will contact the Iraqi government and remind them that this is a political organization and has had no adverse effect on the Iraqi situation and does not interfere in Iraqi affairs. We hope that the Iraqi government will consider them as political refugees according to international law.

The Iraqi People’s Congress’s statement also declared that it considers the PMOI as a friendly organization which shares the desires of Iraqi people in all areas.

Separately, the president of the Iraqi National Dialogue Front, Dr. Saleh Motlaq, said in a statement: “The People’s Mojahedin [members] are considered as political refugees on the bases of all international, human and legal norms. According to my knowledge of them, they have been in Iraq for over 20 years and have never interfered in Iraqi affairs - neither under the previous regime nor at present. They have been the guests of the Iraqi people for over 20 years and are considered as political refugees according to all international, human and legal norms.”

In comments to the press, Sheikh Khalaf al-Elyan, secretary general of the Council for Iraqi National Dialogue said: “The security problem in Iraq will be resolved by adopting a clear position on Iran’s meddling, not by exerting pressure against the People’s Mojahedin.”

Iraqi official defends the right of People’s Mojahedin to legal presence in Iraq as refugees

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
August 9, 2006

NCRI - According to Iraqi press, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister for Security and Services, Dr. Salam al-Zubai reiterated PMOI members' right to political asylum in Iraq and said, "They enjoy the special status of protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention and are protected by United States forces."

The daily al-Safir wrote, in recent weeks, the most important Iraqi political leaders and personalities and several parliamentary factions have in their statements reaffirmed PMOI members' legal status in Iraq and condemned the Iranian regime's measures against them. Dr. Adnan al-Dulaimi, secretary general of the Iraqi People’s Congress, Dr. Saleh Mutlaq, president of the Iraqi National Dialogue Front and Shekh Khalaf al-Elyan, secretary general of the Iraqi National Dialogue Council are among such Iraqi political personalities.

This organization is a political one, which has not had any negative effects on Iraq’s situation or Iraqi internal affairs. We hope that the Iraqi government, in accordance with international law, will view them as political refugees, he was quoted as saying by the daily al-Iraq al-Youm.

The daily al-Haqayeq quoted Sheikh al-Elyan as saying, "Iraq's security problems will be solved by taking a clear position on Iranian meddling in Iraq and not by exerting pressure on the PMOI."

Al-Safir quoted Dr. Mutlaq as saying, "According to all international, humanitarian, and legal standards, PMOI members are considered as political refugees. They have lived in Iraq as guests of the Iraqi people and have not interfered in Iraqi internal affairs. "

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran-Paris
August 9, 2006

Iraqi groups condemn Iran regime's plots against PMOI

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
Tuesday, 08 August 2006

NCRI - The secretary general of the Iraqi People’s Congress, Dr. Adnan al-Dulaimi in a statement reiterated, "We consider the PMOI a friendly organization which is a partner in our demands for peace and democracy in Iraq. In the past three years, PMOI members have been an inspiration to us in our political process Similarly, in accordance with Iraqi and international laws, members of the PMOI, who have been present in Iraq for more than twenty years, have a legal status of political refugees The terrorist label on the PMOI which is publicized by the Iranian regime should not be used as a lever for exerting pressure on PMOI.

The statement goes on to say, "The Iraqi people are aware that the only party which demands the PMOI's expulsion from Iraq and depriving them from their rights to beliefs and free speech is the Iranian regime so that it can meddle in Iraq’s internal affairs with an open hand. We also consider inhumane actions such as depriving the People’s Mojahedin from buying food, fuel and medicines to be effectively a siege against this organization in Iraq. We condemn this action and believe it to be a violation of Arabic and Islamic customs."

Separately, in an interview with Iran National Television (opposition television station), Dr. al-Dulaimi, who also heads the Iraqi Accord Front, said, "The PMOI’s presence in Iraq is legitimate and in accordance with Iraqi laws". He added, "I want Iraqi forces to recognize them as refugees under international laws. The PMOI is a political organization and has no influence on Iraq’s situation and does not meddle in Iraq’s internal affairs."

The Iraqi Peace Party in a statement said, "Remarks by Iraqi officials to restrict PMOI members in Iraq and the cutting off of their fuel, medicine, and other necessities is against the social principles and wisdom of Iraqi people who have emphasized on the PMOI's right to political asylum in Iraq. 5.2 million Iraqis have attested to that fact by signing a petition in support of the PMOI. Such remarks and actions open the way to an Iranian plot against the Iraqi people and the Middle East. Iran is a country whose people are under the yoke of a fundamentalist religious rule. It has a government which is the main state sponsor of terrorism in the world and currently threatens world security. Iran plays a major role in Iraq's problems. It has interfered in the country’s domestic affairs and has sabotaged Iraqi security. The pressure that is exerted on the PMOI by cutting off their water, fuel, and other necessities has the Iranian regime's foot steps. One of the most important signs of independence for the Iraqi government is abiding by international law and reaffirming the refugee status of PMOI members who have been in Iraq for two decades."

In a statement that was published in Iraqi dailies, the Iraqi United Islamic Party responded to the plot by the Iranian regime against the PMOI. "The PMOI is the antitheses of and strong political barrier against the Iranian regime’s fundamentalism and terrorism and for that reason it is the main target for political and propaganda attacks by the enemies. Therefore, we warn all Iraqi political parties and personalities, and all the good people of Iraq to be alarmed at the pressures which are being exerted on the PMOI. These pressures are not only against the PMOI but also against all democratic forces in Iraq."

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
August 8, 2006

Iran: Press conference in Geneva on Ashraf City

Iran: Press conference in Geneva on Ashraf City
Tuesday, 08 August 2006

NCRI - On August 8, on the initiative of the UN Press Association in Geneva, representatives and lawyers of the Iranian Resistance organized a press conference in the United Nations about the situation of the People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI) based in Ashraf City in Iraq and the pressures exerted on them by the Tehran regime.

The speakers gave an outline of the political and legal situation. Marc Henzelin, a Swiss lawyer who has travelled several times to Ashraf City in the past three years, said that after an assessment of the various meetings he had with American officials, Iraqi authorities and representatives of international organizations, he believed that the right to political asylum in Iraq of the PMOI, who have resided there for twenty years, must be reaffirmed by the current Iraqi government under international law.


Christian Grobet, another prominent lawyer and former president of the Geneva Council of State, who has been defending the rights of the PMOI since the time of the Shah’s regime, pointed out that the PMOI were under the protection of the Fourth Geneva Convention and that this status had been obtained after a vast campaign by jurists worldwide. The movement created at that time in defence of the PMOI’s rights is still effective, he asserted, adding that he supported the PMOI’s right to political of asylum in Iraq.

Kenneth Lewis, a Swedish lawyer, outlined the actions pursued until now and concluded by saying that the PMOI in Iraq fit completely the criteria of political refugees, a status which they had been enjoying for twenty years.

Mohammad Mohaddessin, chairman of the NCRI’s Foreign Affairs Committee, recalled: “Last year, the Iranian Resistance announced that with the coming to power of Ahmadinejad, the Tehran regime declared war upon the world. Today, a year after, the mullahs are pursuing this war with strength in Iraq, Lebanon and the Middle East. But, in their eyes Iraq has absolute priority, because domination of this country would be used as a springboard to create a global Islamic empire, something which they have been dreaming about from day one. ”

Therefore, he added, pressures exerted on the PMOI in Iraq are very important for the regime for two reasons: firstly, to get rid of its principal opposition and secondly, to remove all obstacles barring its complete domination of Iraq. Although the PMOI in Iraq do not have any weapons, the religious dictatorship always regards it as its greatest danger, because by advocating a tolerant and democratic Islam, the PMOI are gathering vast support in Iraq.

Referring to a declaration signed by 5.2 million Iraqis in support of the PMOI, Mr. Mohaddessin stated that the text, supporting the PMOI’s presence in Iraq and calling for the reaffirmation of their status as political refugees, had infuriated the mullahs’ regime. Mr. Mohaddessin urged once again international authorities to reaffirm this status and to call on the Iraqi government to respect the status of the PMOI as political refugees, a status they have been enjoying in Iraq for the past 20 years.

Eminent Iraqi personalities support the People's Mojahedin of Iran

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
Wednesday, 08 August 2006

NCRI - Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad al-Moussawi-ol-Qasemi, the founder of the Islamic Alliance Party, said in an interview with Iran National Television (INTV – Iranian Resistance), "The plan which Mr. [Abdol Aziz] Hakim has introduced (against the PMOI), was first published in an Iranian daily, Resalat… Why has he mentioned the PMOI?, I think, it has something to do with intelligence and obeying (the Iranian regime’s) orders… These problems have come about from an original plan which was concocted in Iran… More than half of the people of Iraq approve of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran and support it."

Ms. Amireh Abdol-al-Karim al-Aqabi, the Women's Affairs Committee Chair of the Union of Democratic Workers of Iraq said to INTV, "PMOI members have lived in Iraq for the past 20 years. They have in this time never engaged in terrorist activities and have done nothing to harm the people of Iraq - not even under the former regime in Iraq. … They are political refugees according to known international norms. … We stand in solidarity with Ashraf and the PMOI. This organization has studiously stood up to expose the plots of the mullahs' regime in Iraq. … My message to the Iranian Mojahedin sisters in Ashraf is to continue to sacrifice more and to increase their endeavors to secure their rights in the future."

At the end of her interview with INTV, Ms. al-Aqabi pledged her support for PMOI members and said, "We stand by the Mojahedin. They are our brothers and sisters in faith and we have a common enemy."

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
August 8, 2006

Iraqi political parties and personalities support People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI)

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
Friday, 04 August 2006

NCRI - There has been a new wave of support by political parties as well as political and religious personalities for the PMOI in Iraq and condemnation over the increasing number of plots by the mullahs' against the PMOI.

The parliamentary fraction, Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, in a statement, described PMOI members as honorable guests in Iraq and said, "We in the National Dialogue Front regard this organization as a friend which shares our goals in establishing a democratic system based on respect for human rights and dignity."

The statement emphasized that in their 20 years of presence in Iraq, the PMOI had never "interfered in Iraq's affairs; on the contrary, they have remained neutral in the most difficult circumstances." It added, "This organization enjoys the legal status of political asylum in Iraq and the only party seeking to expel the organization from Iraq is the Iranian regime since it views the PMOI as a threat to itself. The Tehran regime seeks to expel this organization from Iraq to have free reign to meddle in Iraq's affairs."

The statement which has been signed by Dr. Saleh Mutlaq, the fraction's parliamentary chair, and eight of its members goes on to say, "We therefore regard members of the PMOI as Iraq's honorable guests and regard it as our duty to support and respect them according to our moral, humane and religious values." The statement also calls on "all national forces of Iraq to support the PMOI and, if the government persists on its stance at present or any other time, prevent any foreign influence on its decisions."

The Vaugurel Socialist Nassiry Party issued a similar statement, declaring, "The members of the PMOI have spent a long time in Iraq and, quite contrary to the rumors spread by the Iranian regime against them, there are no documents attesting that they interfered in Iraqi internal affairs or engaged in activities outside the framework of Iraqi laws,."

The statement described the remarks by certain Iraqi officials against the PMOI as "contrary to the will and ethics of the Iraqi people." It reiterated that “The Geneva Conventions have reaffirmed the right of PMOI members to political asylum in Iraq and the occupying forces have recognized them as protected persons.”

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
August 4, 2006