The MEK terrorist group: from domestic crimes to international deception
+ Welcome back, Cecilia! Tell us about my beautiful Iran
Today I am providing my English translation of 2 articles from ComeDonChisciotte.org, both originally in Italian. (All emphasis mine in both).
The first one is an article written by Alireza Niknam and published on ComeDonChisciotte.org on 25th December 2024.
The MEK terrorist group: from domestic crimes to international deception
The terrorist group MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq), also known as the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI), has been recognised as one of the most violent and treacherous anti-Iranian terrorist groups since its inception. Initially founded with slogans advocating justice and opposition to tyranny, the group turned into an organisation full of violence, terror and blatant human rights violations after the Islamic Revolution.
The PMOI was founded in 1965 with the aim of fighting the Pahlavi monarchy and establishing social justice. However, the group soon adopted an ideology that mixed Marxism and Islamism, a change that caused internal disputes and further fuelled its violent trajectory. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the group launched an armed opposition against the Islamic Republic, stopping at nothing in its attempt to overthrow the nascent Iranian government.
Among the most heinous crimes committed by the MEK are the murders of more than 17,000 Iranians, including government officials, clergymen and ordinary citizens. These murders, aimed at instilling fear in society, are only one aspect of the group's criminal history. During the Iran-Iraq war, the MEK collaborated with Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime, massacring 4,000 Iraqi Kurds, demonstrating a willingness to commit atrocities to achieve its goals. The group's attack during Operation Forough Javidan “Eternal Light”, supported by Saddam Hussein, involved the invasion of Iranian borders and numerous atrocities. Many victims of this operation were innocent civilians who stood in their path. The operation ended in catastrophic failure, with many MEK members killed during the Iranian counter-offensive, known as Operation Mersad.
A dark aspect of the MEK is its inhuman treatment and extensive human rights violations against its own members. Numerous accounts by former members who have escaped the group reveal systematic torture, imprisonment and even execution of those who attempt to leave. The organisation does not tolerate any dissent or dissatisfaction, maintaining absolute control over its members through violence and coercion. Women, in particular, have suffered severe abuse within the MEK. Many former members testified that women were forced to separate from their spouses and children, subjected to extreme psychological and physical control under various pretexts by the group's leadership. Reports from MEK camps in Iraq and Albania highlight inhuman living conditions, forced labour and severe restrictions on the freedom of members to leave the camps. Psychological and physical torture is the order of the day for those who attempt to escape or disobey orders.
In recent years, Albania has become the main destination for MEK members. Under pressure from Western countries, in particular the United States, Albania has accepted this group. But why has Albania kept silent about human rights violations by the MEK? One of the main reasons is Albania's economic and political dependence on Western powers. The MEK exploited this situation to influence Albania, reportedly by bribing Albanian officials to act on their behalf.
This silence has led to growing insecurity among the Albanian population. The presence of the MEK in Albania not only caused social and economic problems, but also tarnished Albania's international reputation. Protests by Albanians against the group have been met with threats and repression by individuals linked to the MEK within the Albanian government.
One of the MEK's main tactics to gain Western support and legitimacy is to host press conferences and spread false information. On 9th December [2024], for example, the group held a conference in Berlin where it made claims about Iran's nuclear activities.
However, it was soon revealed that these claims were completely fabricated and lacked any scientific or factual basis. How can a terrorist group with a history of atrocities, human rights violations and false information operate freely in a country like Germany, which prides itself on upholding human rights and international law? Allowing such activities not only undermines Germany's credibility in upholding human rights, but also gives its opponents an opportunity to criticise its double standards.
Germany, as a leading EU nation, has a responsibility to prevent its territory from becoming a platform for terrorist and disinformation activities. Allowing the MEK to host conferences disregards the rights of their victims and legitimises their destructive actions, potentially compromising Germany's internal security.
Furthermore, the MEK uses German soil and hosts such conferences to attract attention and garner support from Western countries. However, their long history of spreading false and fabricated information has repeatedly shown that their claims cannot be trusted. Conferences of this kind only serve to deepen mistrust within the international community and increase tensions. Germany must reconsider its policies towards terrorist groups to avoid becoming a platform for dubious and destructive activities. Expelling this group from Albania and Germany, as well as preventing the organisation of misleading conferences, would be an effective step to safeguard national security and uphold human values.
Why does the MEK resort to such actions? The answer lies in an attempt to secure the support of the West. By providing fabricated information, it aims to present itself as an exclusive and reliable source of intelligence not available elsewhere.
However, their history of false claims has repeatedly proven their unreliability. This tactic is also used to pressure the Iranian government, escalating international tensions and gaining more Western support. However, these methods have often backfired, creating further problems for the MEK.
The MEK, with its history of crimes, human rights abuses and deception, remains a significant threat to its hosts in Albania, France and Germany. Albania's silence on MEK violations, influenced by external pressure and economic interests, has only complicated the issue. Expelling the MEK from Albania and holding it accountable for its crimes internationally could be a crucial step towards justice and human rights.
Ultimately, the MEK poses a serious threat not only to its members, but also to the world. It is necessary to take a firm stand against them. Raising public awareness of their crimes and supporting the defectors could help diminish the group's influence and further expose its inhuman actions.
The second article by Hanieh Tarkian was published on ComeDonChisciotte.org on Monday 13th January 2025. (Emphasis mine, footnotes original).
Welcome back, Cecilia! Tell us about my beautiful Iran
Welcome back, Cecilia! It will be a pleasure to listen to your next words on wonderful Iran, a country rooted in six thousand years of history, culture, civilisation and power. A place where past and present seem to have found perfect harmony: a Muslim-majority nation that has been able to preserve and celebrate its rich Zoroastrian heritage.
The Persian calendar is a magnificent and unique example of the coming together of Zoroastrian and Islamic traditions: New Year's Day, for example, coincides with the spring equinox, following Zoroastrian customs, and other holidays, such as Yalda (winter solstice), also continue to be celebrated. But winter, in Islamic traditions, is also referred to as “the believer's spring”, as the long nights allow for more intense dedication to the worship of God, while the short days facilitate fasting, a practice that purifies both body and mind.
In addition, Iran has been able to preserve some of the oldest religious communities in the Middle East, such as the Assyrian and Armenian Christians, with their monasteries, sacred places of meditation and heritages of humanity. Even the Jewish community, the largest in the Middle East after the genocidal state, has preserved its heritage in this land. What a perfect blend of cultures and traditions!
Who knows what you will tell us then, Cecilia? And, above all, can we really trust your words?
In the Festival of “Il Foglio”1 a few months ago, you called Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, a liar, saying that “he has no right hand, he has had a fake hand attached to his wrist for decades”. Where did you get this gem from, I wonder, at least have the decency to read the portrait published in the same paper you work for, where it is reported that “a bomb hidden in a tape recorder by the Mujaheddin-e-Khalq had exploded a few metres from him during a press conference. Khamenei was injured and lost the use of his right hand”2, no fake hand attached to his wrist then, but even if it was... I wonder?
And still you tell us of Khamenei and Raisi as having sent 4,000 “dissidents” to their death. Too bad these “dissidents” were actually terrorists belonging to the Mujaheddin-e-Khalq, a terrorist organisation responsible for hundreds of crimes against the Iranian and Iraqi people3. We can also argue about the death penalty, but we cannot present terrorists as mere dissidents.
You then described former president Ibrahim Raisi as a man without character, intent only on seeking power. But what do you really know about Raisi? Millions of Iranians attended his funeral, calling him a “martyr in the service of the homeland”, a tireless man, always working to improve the condition of the people and protect his nation. Upon his death, it was discovered that his mother was still living in a modest house in Mashhad.
You also mentioned the repression of protesters from the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, but the reality is that in Iran no one is sentenced to death simply for participating in a demonstration. Peaceful protests are guaranteed by the Iranian Constitution, and there are hundreds of them every year, involving workers, activists and citizens.
Speaking of women, elsewhere you speak of women's rights in Iran, how jarring, however, with your participation among the “chicas” in a video a few years ago by Tony Effe4 - excluded from the New Year's Eve 2025 concert at the Circus Maximus for some lyrics judged as “sexist” - where you play the member of a gang of women intent on smoking and “trafficking” candy. In the song there are phrases that offer a debasing view of women, such as: “I give her a kiss and already she's undressing. I don't need these sl*ts. She only calls me for drugs. Cola-flavoured candies. I sell them to her, she sells them locally”. What a great example of respect for women!
The late Imam Khomeini said: “We do not want and Islam does not want women to be an object and a doll in our hands. Islam wants to preserve a woman's personality and make her a responsible and efficient person. We will never allow women to be seen as objects and instruments of men's pleasure”.
But you are young some would say, mistakes happen, but it is interesting to read the things you tell when you are presented as an excellence of Italian journalism, like when you told us that not even the cold was with Putin and that Russian mobilised men had no socks and abandoned the frontline5, and shall we talk about when you described the Azovstal steelworks based on a map from a video game6?
So, go ahead and tell us about my beautiful Iran, Cecilia, but who knows if your readers and listeners will still be able to trust your words.
https://comedonchisciotte.org/il-gruppo-terroristico-mek-dai-crimini-interni-allinganno-internazionale/ [translated into English in the first article here on this post]
MeK another TERRORIST PROXY GROUP funded by USAID,CIA,NED.