June 17, 2003
President-in-exile in jail
French police have stormed the bases of MKO in that country and arrested about 165 people, including Maryam Rajavi, Massoud’s spouse and their President-in-exile, along with his brother Saleh Rajavi. The larger compound raided in Vincent van Gogh’s town of Auvers-sur-Oise is about 2 acres (or 9,600 square yards) large and houses 30 buildings. Not even “K” members of the organization are housed here and everyone at the compound holds a high ranking position. (Mojahedin members are ranked based on several levels, K stands for Kandid or “Candidate” members, those who have been principally accepted as members but are awaiting formal initiation.)
Considering the fact that the group is run by only a very limited number of senior members, arrest of 150+ such members is certainly a blow to their ability to function normally. However the key will remain as to the conclusion awaiting Massoud Rajavi. He IS the organization and without him there is no MKO, but the opposite is also true that as long as he is in charge (and he is always in charge, regardless of other organizational formalities), MKO will remain a factor and in its current format, minus some members or in a different size and/or set-up.
I first met Massoud Rajavi as a young kid shortly after the revolution of 1979. In their building in central Tehran, when they were still called Jonbesh (movement) as Rajavi had declared they can not use “organization” until formal structures were in place, they had a dining room in the basement. The upper floors were all classified by their floor numbers and the higher in the organizational charts you were, the higher you could move up leaving the very top floor (I believe 4th) for the members of “central committee” and their entourage. I was so young and small that after hanging around for days, nobody cared where I went, but I still had not built the courage to go to that top floor.
Finally I gathered enough nerve to consider climbing that final flight of stairs one day but as I started my ascent, I looked up and coming down the stairs was a group of 6 to 8 people following Massoud and his second in command Mousa Khiabani (later killed in a heavy battle with the regime). He was very nice to me, jokingly wondering how I had gotten to the upper floors as I joined them going down the stairs ending in the lunch room and eating a meal of bread, feta cheese and black fresh dates. After that day my nickname was “bacheye markaziat” or “central committee’s kid” and I got even more access to do as I wanted around that building, including being there on the day Yasser Arafat paid a visit. A few short months later, they evacuated that building and that arrangement was dead forever.
Anyone who has ever met him will tell you about Rajavi’s piercing eyes. He constantly watches every little detail happening around him and never misses even a single point. He is the epitome of a cult leader, taking away your sense of who you are and replacing it with his own “trance” almost instantly. A friend once joked that if you ever gave him a 2 hour television spot, he could hypnotize the entire nation of Iran and as much as I hate to admit it, he may have had a point. After all, "brother Massoud" single handedly rebuilt an organization that was at most about 100 member strong to seriously contesting the presidency of the country within a short year or so, before being banned by Ayatollah Khomeini and built a large following after that unseen by other organizations within Iranian left.
I have had my own issues with the MKO. I started categorizing them as a “terrorist organization” after another incident; I was being “interviewed” by an agent of Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) as my life was threatened again. He turned the conversation to MKO (the threat was by supporters/agents of the government and nothing to do with them) knowing of my connections to various leftist organization. I insisted he doesn’t need to worry about them but then he asked “suppose Massoud orders all their supporters tomorrow to attack certain targets all over the world, do you think they’ll do it?” I said “without a doubt” then hesitated for a second and continued “I guess that’s why you need to keep an eye on them” he just nodded. The truth is if he orders them, they are well proficient in doing anything, including acts of terror and violence. One member has already set himself on fire in protest to Maryam’s arrest. Who knows what may be next.
But despite my problems with the group, it’s ideology, structure, leadership and methods, I certainly hope this isn’t used to strengthen the position of Iranian government in any way. Furthermore, it would be a sin and a crime if any of it’s rank and file members are forced to or are handed over to Iran. Let the leadership as well as others suspected of crimes or support of any misconduct be tried in a fair and open forum and if convicted, the guilty must serve their sentence in a place other than where the obvious and only penalty is death.
UPDATE - As of now, June 18th @ 4:20 PM PST, all those arrested except 26 people have been released and at least 4 other people have set themselves on fire with the possibility of one being dead and others seriously injured. I suspect the demonstrations will get even more aggressive if the stuation isn't somehow resolved.
Posted by Pedram at June 17, 2003 11:51 PMHi Pedram. Thanks for this article. I too agree that these people should not be handed over to the Islamic government of Iran however they should (and hopefully will) stand trial under a fair judicial system. They should be held accountable for the atrocities they have caused. Regards, Haleh
Posted by: Haleh at June 18, 2003 03:04 AMHaleh,
I am not a fan of MKO, but what do you mean by "atrocities they have caused"? Are you holding them responsible for the executaion of thousands of Iranians by the regime? If MKO, caused the atrocities, then regime didn't cause anything,is that what you are saying?
I do believe they should be hold accountable for stupid policies they have had, including working with Saddam and now beging to get support of the US, but bashing them the way you do, only pleases the government in Iran.
Posted by: Faramin at June 18, 2003 05:46 AMI'd rather have mullas running my beloved Iran then let this looney sect take over. I feel sorry for all the brain washed people involved with this sect.
We need a democracy not this crap or Pahlavi crap or mulla crap.
Posted by: ali at June 18, 2003 07:09 AM(Ali seems to only be sloganeering rather than logically arguing, so I won't really reply)
I'm with Faramin. What is lost in much of this discourse is that the blame for the misery in Iran lies squarely on the shoulders of the Iranian theocracy, and no one else.
Think what you will of the policies of the Mojahedin (i personally don't think much of them -- I don't like their brand of religious thought and I'd vote against them in an open election. I also oppose the cult of personality they've built around their leadership), but their acts are in no way comparable to those of the regime in power.
As Pedram mentioned, we are running a very real risk of strenghtening the position of the Iranian government. I think the more Mojahed-bashing we do, the more we're actually helping the current powers-that-be. To extradite their members to Iran would be a gross violation of human rights as it would ensure a sentence of torture and execution, without anything resembling a trial. (and to be honest, I have yet to hear a good explanation of why any of their members deserve to be on trial in the first place.)
I friend of mine and I had a littel conversation about this issue. I've posted it on my blog, if anyone is interested.
Posted by: polo at June 18, 2003 01:15 PMI am not going to count one by one the atrocities caused by Rajavi and his MKO. You will find that apart from a group of brainwashed youngsters and some fossilised oldies of the yesteryear this organisation has few supporters (sorry if this causes distress to some!). Let's change the record and move onto the new era, shall we? I won’t suppress my criticism or dislike for these guys because, in your words, it might please the Islamic government of Iran. They are both as atrocious as one another. In no way condemning the MKO would mean endorsing or strengthening of the IRI. By the same token would the condemning of the Pahlavi regime imply the same? Please don’t use this as part of your arguments for goodness’ sake! Bad is bad … be it MKO, the Shah or the Mullahs.
As I said I am not in favour of handing them over to Iran as they stand no chance of a fair trial but in the fullness of time, like all others, they too WILL be held accountable. God bless Pedram for supplying this pressure valve here!
Haleh
You know haleh, what you provided wasn't really an answer.
It was a propaganda line.
To say "I am not going to count one by one the atrocities caused by Rajavi and his MKO" is to say nothing at all.
like me, you can disagree with the 'brainwashed' (why everyone that disagrees with you should be considered brainwashed is beyond me) youth, or the 'fossilised oldies'. but it requires a helluva lot more than a mere disagreement to demand that they be brought to trial!!
Mojahedin have a combination of all the negative points: they are terrorists, they are traitors to their people, they are fanaticly religious (in the tradition of Hasan Sabbah,) they are against democracy and freedom (in any way you define it,) and worst than any thing else they follow a crazy brainwasher who can do any thing for power.
This organization is the only political group that Iranian people hate them even more than mollahs. I wish they never ever come back to Iran.
I think what Haleh is trying to say is that crime is not comparable. You can't half-justify MKO's motives and actions by pointing to the government in Iran.
The MKO have killed. This is not propaganda. they dont even argue this point. Just ask them and they'll admit the things they've done. And whether or not what they've done was justifide is something for a jury to decide. A fair and unbias jury of course.
Posted by: me at June 18, 2003 09:10 PMTo Farhad, there are people in grave in Kermanshah and in Kurdistan because of the MKO. They are not propaganda, they are dead because the MKO chose to side with an invading army. Outside of Iran they have a great PR machine but inside at least in those provinces people remmeber them. The misery in Iran also had something to do with the war and Saddam, something that the moarchists/MKO supports seem to enjoy forgetting. If I wished for anyone to have an unfair trial it would be for them.
Posted by: asad at June 24, 2003 11:20 AMwhats wrong mr.website? dont like what i said?>.....only want to leave one sided opinion about the mko???? your IGNORENT!!!!!!....you wont even post a message that doesnt agree with what you think.....AH HAH!!!! then you also are in charge of a mini- internet cult.....listen your very uneducated those people risked their lives for the people of iran... people in china set themselves on fire and everyone said it was a courageous act for freedom???? whats the difference???.....that picture is of someone who was willing to sacrifise his life for iran freedom. you like living in america away from your homeland? you have no backbone... these people love there country and theyre willing to die for it....cult??? there are so many supporters....what does masoud rajavi do send signals from iraq to his supporters and brainwashes them???? come one get real!!!!!....i cant believe you as an iranian didnt have enough respect to look at that picture and say:" its unfortunate that people must have to give up their lives b/c a bunch of terrorists are ruling the country". Those mullahs have set us back so many years. when shah was in power we had the most beautiful people with the most modern clothing, modern lifestyle. look at us now!!!!! we look a bunch of refugees !!....We were a country with great respect. those mullahs set us back years!!.....be a decent human being and atleast be fair to those people that are willing to lose everything for your daughter,son, mother,father,brother, and sister's future.
Posted by: tabassom at June 27, 2003 09:19 PM