The Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK – translated as People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran) is the most lied to and lied about group of people in the world. Their biggest detractors are their opposition: the fundamentalist extremists ruling the government of Iran. Even though Iran is the No. 1 state exporter of international terrorism, it remains amazing that if Tehran creates propaganda against the MEK, mainstream media is ready to publish it.
I dealt directly and indirectly with the MEK during three different combat assignments: as senior Anti-terrorism Officer for all Coalition Forces in Iraq, as the Operations Chief of Task Force 134 (Detention Operations - Iraq), and as Base Commander of Camp Ashraf. Because Saddam and the MEK had a common enemy in Tehran, he had allowed the MEK to form the National Liberation Army (NLA) and operate several bases in Iraq. We inherited responsibility for the NLA after the 2003 invasion.
They agreed to consolidate at Ashraf, turn in their weapons to us, and come under our protection. Key point: the MEK is a global organization, far bigger than the former NLA. Despite never-ending rumors and slander about the MEK members at Ashraf, the U.S. military was using them as a non-combatant ally and intelligence source.
The MEK was founded on three principles: equality of those in power and those not, clerics not having blind control over the congregations, and all people having the right to their own interpretation of religious text. The Ayatollahs identify this as heresy, punishable by death. Their western detractors declare these principles to be in keeping with Marx and Lenin. Truth is, those principles are aligned with Jefferson and Madison.
No matter who spreads disinformation about the MEK, the originators of the rumors almost always trace back to the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) and Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Numerous times, operatives of both of these organizations have been convicted in European and North American courts of international terrorism attacks and plots.
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Since relocating from Iraq to Albania, the former residents of Ashraf have built a beautiful community outside Tirana and named it Ashraf 3. Pursuing their arch-enemies, Iran increased operations in Albania to the point that Prime Minister Rama expelled the Iranian Ambassador for being an MOIS agent and plotting a terrorist attack on Ashraf 3.
People who leave Ashraf 3 are being recruited to slander their former comrades. Most active of these is Hassan Heyrani. While still a member of the MEK, Heyrani was discovered to be a mole for the MOIS. He was expelled from the community. Since then, a very manipulative and disgruntled Heyrani has taken every opportunity possible to discredit and generate lies about his former comrades.
Without proper vetting, media outlets such as the BBC and New York Times have generally accepted what Heyrani and his peers have said regarding their former affiliations with the MEK.
In February of 2021, the tactics used by individuals like Hassan Heyrani were revealed when another former Ashraf 3 resident, Hadi Sani-Khani, wrote an open letter to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres. In the letter, Sani-Khani expressed readiness to formally testify to any relevant authorities about the Iranian regime’s propaganda war against the leading pro-democracy opposition.
Sani-Khani confessed to becoming directly involved with the MOIS after leaving Ashraf 3 in 2016 and being approached by Iranian agents. Identifying Heyrani and others by name, he stated, “They used me in demonization, espionage, intelligence gathering, and reconnoitering schemes to carry out terrorist actions against the MEK.” Sani-Khani expressed regret for having written articles and given interviews about the MEK while knowing that not one word of his commentary was true. His confessions validated my previous assessments.
On July 16, Albanian media reported that the Special Court for Combatting Corruption and Organized Crime had ordered raids on a number of properties belonging to Iranians who are believed to have received payment from the MOIS or the IRGC in exchange for various activities that threatened to set the stage for terrorist attacks.
The raids were the culmination of a four-year investigation into a cell comprised of several named individuals, including Hassan Heyrani. During the time the investigation was ongoing, Heyrani was quoted as a trusted source in multiple Western news outlets. Any publications and broadcasts wishing to continue spreading his lies should understand Heyrani’s electronic devices have been seized in pursuit of evidence showing his connections to Iranian intelligence.
Heyrani’s discreditation just means the MOIS will move onto another mouthpiece. For that reason, it is vital for individual journalists and individual readers to vet the policies underlying any future coverage of the MEK, and to root out sources of false information before they become ingrained in the discussion.
It is not too late for the media to admit its own mistakes. It is better to correct them now than to go on participating in the slander of an organization that represents Iran’s best chance for freedom and democracy.
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