Washington’s Smear Campaign Against MEK Vs. Death In Camp Liberty

Council of Europe Siding With The MEK And Its US Supporters
by Fabian Mahmoudi

As Washington’s smear campaign fires away at MEK, Bardia Amir-Mostofian, a 44 year old engineer and resident of Ashraf, dies of cardiac arrest due to fatigue following a 48-hour-long transit inspection after entering Camp Liberty.

Bardia was one of 700 residents who volunteered to go to the Camp described to be a “prison” by a recent statement by the Council of Europe. (Full statement of Council of Europe)

International pleas by the opposition (MEK) alerting the US,UNAMI and international community of a plot to fail the relocation and blame it on the opposition has not been heeded when most needed.

The statement released by the opposition blames Baridas’ death on his extreme fatigue and stress cause by the rush imposed by Iraq and UNAMI to relocate before the Iranian New year.

The MoU does not allow residents the freedom to transfer their movable belongings.

Why are American MEK supporters targeted now?

Why are American MEK supporters targeted now? Anything to do with the recent court ruling in DC in favor of the MEK?

By Sam Azizi
March 15, 2012

After the US court decision about the mandamus of the MEK (the main Iranian opposition movement known by their Farsi name, Mojahedin-e-Khalq) on their unjust designation as a foreign terrorist group, came an orchestrated campaign against US dignitaries, military and political personalities who have expressed their support for the MEK.

But why all these allegations now?

The simple truth is that if the State Department had any logical argument about this group and its links to terrorism, it would have provided it to the court and to the media in order to justify the designation. And that would have been the end of argument.

But as it is very routine, when there is no evidence, allegations and disinformation campaign is used as an instrument to undermine and derive the course of events.

Little by little we are witnessing footprints of well known lobbies of the Iranian regime disguised as a noble U.S. citizens or outfits, yet with a sinister intent and objective.

One of those is an indiviual called Trita Parsi. according to Washington Times, Trita Parsi, who heads the "National Iranian America Council", argues that the money is connected to the MEK and as such is trying to muddy the water for the US dignitaries who support the Iranian resistance and in particular believe terrorism designation must not be a tool of political deal-making, especially deals with the likes of the mullahs’ regime.

According to the Washington Times on March 9: "Mr. Parsi claims that officials from the State Department have privately told him that the MEK sets up 'shell organizations' to raise money. When asked about Mr. Parsi's claim, a State Department spokesman declined to comment."

So even the State Department is reluctant to confirm these allegations!

It is ironic that Trita Parsi is himself subject of an ongoing investigation for his role and function as an influence peddler of the Iranian regime in Washington, DC.

Actually this mud-slinging and slur campaign is nothing new in Iranian politics at all. The Iranian regime's notorious secret service, MOIS , is a master of tarnishing the image of the regime's dissidents.

But there is another side to this experience. Whenever the person who was targeted showed no fear and did not succumb, the MOIS had no choice but to retreat.

In this case, as they have no evidence against the MEK they try to conjure up evidences and as such to neutralize MEK supporters.

This group of U.S. senior former officials represent an impressive, bipartisan group that is a very rare in Washington, DC. They include three Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Director of FBI, the Attorney General, the State Department’s coordinator of anti-terrorism, the State Department’s director of policy planning, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, two Chairmen of the Democratic National Committee, two CIA Directors, the President’s National Security Advisor and the President’s Homeland Security Advisor, believe the U.S's principles and values are not matters of bargaining, with Baghdad tyrants, their masters in Tehran or anyone to that effect. They are the voice of conscience of the true values of the US.

They are the ones who dared to do the difficult right, instead of going with the easy wrong.

They do not want to witness again that US put MEK off its list after mullahs are gone, very similar to what happened to Nelson Mandela and its organization. He was targeted by the same allegations but nothing could stop him and his movement to restore freedom and democracy in their country.

But this could be a slough for mullahs' lobbies and those at the Foggy Bottom who have gone over the board over the years in their bid to appease Tehran tyrants. It seems they have not noticed that the end game is near and the death bell for the defunct policy of appeasement and all of its by-products, including the inclusion of the dissidents in the terror list is ringing.

Bipartisan Political Leaders Urge Removal of MEK from Terrorist List, Denounce Attempt to Silence State Department Policy Critics

WASHINGTON, March, 24, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX

With a federal appeals court deadline looming for the U.S. State Department to answer why it has defied earlier court rulings requiring review of a decision to maintain the main Iranian opposition movement, the Mujahedin-e Khaq (MEK) on the terrorist list, top former US officials and Members of Congress are urging the Department to remove the group immediately.

"I believe we will not only get our day in court, I believe we will succeed," former U.S. Department of Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge told an audience of Members of Congress, staff members, and Iranian-Americans during an event, marking the Iranian New Year, Nowrouz. "Sometimes justice takes a little longer than normal, but sooner or later, righteousness and the law prevail, and we will prevail."

Other speakers included Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), the House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and retired Army Col. Wesley Martin, who commanded Camp Ashraf.

At issue is the fate of 3,400 Iranian dissidents now housed at Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty in Iraq; their safe relocation has been vastly complicated by the State Department's refusal the make a decision on the Status of the MEK.

In 2010, a three-judge panel in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit unanimously ruled that the State Department had violated the due process rights of the MEK and ordered the Obama administration to revisit the issue. Since then, the State Department continues to be in violation of the due process in virtue of its refusal to make a decision based on instructions given by the Court.

Earlier this month, attorneys for the MEK filed a writ of mandamus seeking the court's intervention in light of State inaction. The court did so expeditiously, and gave the government a deadline of March 26 to respond to the mandamus.

In the meantime, in a move which some observers believe is tied to the court developments, the Treasury Department is apparently contemplating a "potential" investigation into the source of funding for events where a number of senior former federal law enforcement, intelligence and national security officials had urged that the MEK be dropped from the State Department's terror list and the residents of Ashraf be protected.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-CA, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Oversight and Investigations subcommittee, has called this inquiry "a travesty," adding that it is "a sin that our government is going after these people trying to support the people of Iran."

"It seems that the method to silence those who are in favor of the liberation of the MEK from the foreign terrorist organization... is to attack them personally... That is not going to work. Whoever is behind the attacks on these good men and women with unbelievable credentials, who believe in the de-listing of the MEK, it will not succeed," emphasized the Texas Republican, Rep. Ted Poe.

Since the Court ruling, nearly 130 members of Congress, including House Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mike Rogers (R-MI), Oversight and Government Reform Chair Darrel Issa (R-CA) and Armed Services Committee Chair Howard McKeon (R-CA), have co-sponsored resolutions calling for the delisting of the MEK

SOURCE California Society for Democracy in Iran

Death In Camp Liberty vs. Washington’s Smear Campaign Against MEK

Council of Europe Siding With The MEK And Its US Supporters

As Washington’s smear campaign fire away at MEK, Bardia Amir-Mostofian a 44 year old engineer and resident of Ashraf dies of cardiac arrest due to fatigue after 48-hour-long transit inspection after entering Camp Liberty. Bardia was one of 700 residents who volunteered to go to the Camp described to be a “prison” by a recent statement by the Council of Europe. (Full statement of Council of Europe)
International pleas by the opposition (MEK) alerting the US,UNAMI and International community of a plot to fail the relocation and blame it on the opposition has not been heeded when most needed.

Council of Europe Condemns Camp Prison: Latest on Camp Liberty-Ashraf

The Council of Europe has issued a statement on the lack of lack of humanitarian and human rights standards in Camp Liberty and has urged the Iraqi government to implement the minimum guarantees demanded by the residents, including the removal of all armed units from the interior of the Camp.
The text of the statement reads:

·          [15/03/2012]  PACE’s Political Affairs Committee has repeated its call to the Iraqi authorities to stop turning Camp Liberty – a site near Baghdad where around 800 members of an Iranian opposition group are now living – into a prison. In a statement adopted yesterday, the committee called for armed units and surveillance to be removed from the camp, as well as free movement for its residents and improved conditions, including access to medical services, lawyers and UN monitors. The complete text of the Council’s statement:

Following the statement made in January and owing to the fact that

unfortunately no improvement has been made, the Committee on Political Affairs

and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe calls on

the Iraqi authorities to stop turning Camp Liberty into a prison. It also calls on

the UN Secretary General to ensure the minimum guarantees required by the

camp residents.

In spite of the lack of humanitarian and human rights standards, to date, 800

Ashraf residents have been moved to Camp Liberty in order to find a peaceful

solution. But this camp is suffering from a serious shortage of drinking water and

electricity. Open sewage has made the area terribly polluted and the danger to

human health and many of the trailers are extremely badly damaged, making

them unusable. Liberty residents are not allowed to leave the camp. They have

no direct access to medical services nor to lawyers. There is a police station and

nearly 150 armed Iraqi forces equipped with machine guns in this very limited

area of half a square kilometre in which 3400 people have to live. Several

surveillance cameras and eavesdropping devices have been installed in the

camp, the output of which has been passed to the Iranian authorities to threaten

the residents and their families.

The Committee urges the Iraqi government to implement the minimum

guarantees demanded by the residents, including the removal of all armed units,

surveillance cameras and eavesdropping devices from the camp; resolving the

infrastructure problem, particularly regarding water, electricity and sewage;

providing direct access to medical services, lawyers and UN monitors; allowing

free movement or at least increasing the camp area; and providing the security

of all residents until they leave Iraq preventing the arrest of even one resident.

We call on Council of Europe member and observer states to respond positively

and rapidly to resettlement demands of Liberty and Ashraf residents.

• Increasing police stations in Liberty and bringing them closer to residential areas

In the afternoon of Monday March 12 and the morning of Tuesday March 13, Iraqi armed forces opened up a 5-meter wide section of Camp Liberty wall and stationed police forces there. These points are at 10-meter distance from living and rest area of the residents. Therefore the number of police posts have been increased to seven. This is a clear threat to the residents and paves the way for attacking the residents.

Earlier on February 27^th, residents of Ashraf and Liberty in separate letters signed by all of the residents to UN Secretary General, his Special Representative and the US Secretary of State had stated their minimum assurances for the transfer of the remaining residents from Ashraf to Liberty, the most important of which was the withdrawal of police and Iraqi armed forces from Liberty 

 

Fraudcast News On MEK! It Is Time For Responsible Journalism

by Fabian Mahmoudi

Sadly, once again, I came across a piece written by Josh Rogin on foreign policy which is avoiding every principal of journalistic ethics: references to honesty, avoiding journalistic bias, demonstrating responsibility, striking an appropriate balance between privacy and public interest, shunning financial conflict of interest, and choosing ethical means to obtain information. It would be utterly irresponsible of me to say the piece is not a politically orientated leverage accomplice to the subject of a humanitarian crisis.

As has been the case, I researched and was accommodated with the fact that such fraud-casting is disaster for reputable journalism and must be isolated and disclaimed by the profession. Omission of biased information and facts is the worst any journalist could do to destroy his reputation.
It would be a long and tiresome piece if I were to examine one by one in the bundle delivered by Mr. Rogin the fallacies which undermine one's journalistic integrity, but to stick to the humanitarian concern and volatile situation of Camp Liberty and the relocation of the 4300 refugees. I shall only refer to facts which have not been mentioned in the cast entitled:  Are the MEK’s U.S. friends its worst enemies?

The column slams all those who support the Opposition movement MEK and accuses them of being bought. I would suppose then this MEK movement must be a very strong, capable and desirable alternative to the present dithering and tyrannical regime, strong enough to win the hearts and minds of 4000 parliamentarians in Europe, 1800 jurists, arrive to get the maximum vote of 17 parliaments, and a considerable number of US senate votes in its favor.(*6)

Camp Liberty: Who Is Responsible For Fraud On Human Lives

by Joseph Omidvar

The question is simple: Who is really responsible for the situation facing 400 innocent Iranian dissidents? There is no doubt that somebody is responsible for perpetrating that fraud.

A fraud threatening human lives is not often heard about in today’s world. This has however, been the case for 397 Iranian dissidents, who found themselves be tricked when they accepted to be relocated from the place they had lived in for 25 years.