Open Letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown - Show solidarity with Iranian people by curbing Mojahedin Khalq terrorists in London
Open Letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Show solidarity with Iranian people by curbing Mojahedin Khalq terrorists in London
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... 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
http://www.cnbc.com/id/34686287
also:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS99721+04-Jan-2010+PRN20100104
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
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.
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The original letter,
Massoud Khodabandeh, January 04, 2010
Open Letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Show solidarity with Iranian people by curbing Mojahedin Khalq terrorists in London
Dear Gordon Brown,
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.
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Also read:
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=6962
Second Report on Camp Ashraf and Mojahedin-e Khalq in Iraq
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... 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
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS123753+22-Sep-2009+PRN20090922
Link to the full report (PDF)
Iran-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.
For more information contact: Anne Singleton +44 (0) 113 278 0503
Link to the first report:
http://www.iran-interlink.org/?mod=view&id=4095
