Exposing the MEK's forged signatures

The truth behind the controversial declaration of 560 MEPs and the formal protest of the European Parliament.

What follows is my English translation of an article by Alireza Niknam, originally in Italian, published on ComeDonChisciotte.org on Wednesday 21st May 2025. (All emphasis original).

In recent days, the official website of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), a well-known terrorist group, published a statement claiming the support of 560 British MPs. This statement, promoted as part of a propaganda campaign, aims to portray the MEK as a legitimate and popular opposition group. However, closer examination reveals a worrying pattern of forgery, deception and misuse of politicians' names. This is not the first time the MEK has resorted to forging signatures or misusing the identity of officials. In fact, the European Parliament explicitly warned against such deceptive practices in a formal resolution passed in 2023.

A recycled scenario in a new package

The MEK has long sought to present itself as influential by collecting and publicising the names of politicians who support it. In its most recent move, the group claimed that 560 UK legislators have signed a new declaration in support of it. At first glance, this number may seem impressive, but an examination of the MEK's record and official European responses reveals a more bitter truth: widespread forgery of signatures and manipulation of the media.

Official protest of the European Parliament against the MEK's deceptive tactics

In July 2023, the European Parliament adopted a resolution entitled “Recommendations on the revision of the European Parliament's rules on transparency, integrity, accountability and anti-corruption”. In Section U of Resolution P9_TA(2023)0292 (official reference: eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/C/2024/4011/oj/eng), the Parliament directly addressed the MEK's misconduct, stating:

“whereas Iran’s Mujahideen, an organisation Human Rights Watch has accused of intimidating, torturing and sometimes murdering members of the Iranian diaspora, has been using aggressive and shady practices to meet MEPs, including by hiding their real affiliation; whereas MEPs have been included by this organisation as co-signatories of letters they had not co-signed or named as co-hosts of conferences they never endorsed; whereas they were registered using over 45 different pseudonyms, such as ‘MEK’, ‘NCRI’, ‘ISJ’, ‘APA’, in order to mislead MEPs and the Transparency Register”.

The resolution also reveals that the MEK used more than 45 false or misleading names and identities to deceive MEPs and manipulate the EU Transparency Register. This represents an unprecedented level of deception in the history of lobbying in the EU.

A long history of forgery and corrupt lobbying

Over the past ten years, the MEK has repeatedly used fictitious organisations and front NGOs in various countries to promote a false image of human rights. In Canada, investigative reports have identified dozens of “charitable” or “humanitarian” entities that serve as cover for the MEK's financial and propaganda activities. In Europe, the group paid large sums to retired politicians and hired intermediaries to falsify statements and generate favourable media coverage. Furthermore, investigations by security agencies in several European countries have found that the MEK uses covert affiliations to expand its political influence. In recent years, it has been revealed that apparently “independent” organisations supporting the MEK were actually run by former members or financial representatives of the group.

Whistleblower testimonies and insider revelations

During recent prosecutions in Iran over MEK crimes, several former members testified that MEK officials repeatedly asked them to submit pre-filled policy statements on behalf of various public figures. Some even claimed that the organisation had access to digital and scanned signatures of European lawmakers.

One defector stated:

“At Camp Ashraf, a media unit was tasked with collecting digital signatures from public letters and inserting them into statements that were never actually made by the original authors”.

These practices confirm the systematic nature of signature fraud by the MEK.

Hidden agendas behind the false declaration

Statements such as the recent one entitled “In support of the uprising of the Iranian people” or “Recognition of the democratic opposition” are only tools used by the MEK to clean up its image in the Western media and regain access to lobby. With decreasing international support and funding, the MEK tries to appear active and influential. These statements also aim to create psychological pressure on Iranian institutions by giving the illusion of international legitimacy, an illusion that clearly contradicts the facts reported by independent media and human rights organisations.

Legal implications and public opinion reactions

Forging signatures and falsely attributing political endorsements is not only unethical, but also has serious legal consequences. In some cases, legislators whose names have been used without authorisation have filed formal complaints and demanded removal from the registers. Furthermore, providing false information to the EU Transparency Register could result in sanctions to the MEK's lobbying activities and lead to a ban on contacting MEPs, which seems to be already underway, given the negative reactions of some European officials.

The MEK's claim to receive support from 560 British legislators is not only unfounded, but also a clear example of systematic falsification and manipulation. What the group promotes through its media is more like an orchestrated propaganda performance than a real political movement. The formal protest of the European Parliament, testimonies of former members and extensive documentation all point to an undeniable reality: the MEK is increasingly isolated and discredited on the international stage. It is time for the media and the public to take a more critical look at the MEK's false narratives and reject its fraudulent lobbying tactics once and for all.

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