| Mujahedin-e Khalq asks to be removed from State terror list |
| Written by Ali G. Scotten | |
| Thursday, 14 February 2008 | |
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Washington DC - The Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) held a large event in the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday as part of its lobbying effort to be removed from the State Department’s list of terrorist organizations. The event, which was organized by the MEK and sponsored by Representative Tom Tancredo’s (R-CO) Iran Human Rights and Democracy Caucus, invited Congressional staffers and members of the general public to learn about the organization’s activities.
The
MEK has also operated under other names, such as the National Council of Resistance of Iran, the National
Liberation Army of Iran (the military wing of the National Council of
Resistance of Iran), the National Convention for a Democratic Secular Republic
in Iran, and the Committee in Support of Referendum in Iran.
The event drew around 200 people, mostly MEK members from around the U.S. Speakers included antiterrorism lawyer Allan Gerson and MEK supporter, Representative Ted Poe (R-TX). "It is my opinion that America's qualm is not with the people of Iran,” Poe said, “it is with the government of Iran and there is a big difference." High on the list of issues was the situation in Camp Ashraf, MEK’s military compound inside Iraq, which currently houses over 3,000 members. Camp Ashraf is used by the organization as its base of operations, and has been the birthplace of MEK attacks against Iran. As the MEK has a long relationships with the Iraqi Baath Party, the camp was also used to protect Saddam Hussein from the Iraqi Shi’ite revolt after the first Gulf War. The camp has been surrounded by U.S. forces since the 2003 American invasion. Gerson, who linked the camp’s water supply cut off on Feb. 8 to the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, reminded the audience that individuals inside the camp are protected by the Geneva conventions. Tancredo congratulated branches of the MEK on their recent “victory” in both England and France, where the organization has been officially removed from terror lists, and urged to U.S. to follow suit. "The Iranian people have been a friend of the U.S. for a long time,” Tancredo said. “U.S. policy should be changed to reflect this reality [the MEK’s designation as a terrorist group]." Tancredo further spoke of the importance of supporting the MEK as a means of stabilizing Iraq and ensuring an “expeditious” withdrawal of U.S. forces. In defense, Gerson asserted that Iraqis overwhelmingly support the MEK. His statement referenced a vote in which supposedly 5.2 million Iraqis voted in favor of the organization. The event ignored many of the State Department’s grievances with the MEK, including its long history of anti-Western activities, including the taking of US hostages in 1979. In addition, the MEK has regularly claimed responsibility for mortar attacks and hit-and-run raids on Iranian targets. Human Rights Watch reported in 2005 that the MEK "has subjected dissident members to torture and prolonged solitary confinement." Poe received rousing applause when he said that Iranians’ “souls and ideas must be liberated from tyranny.” “Ted Poe from Texas is a friend of the Iranian people,” he said. “I encourage you in your struggle.” |
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