WHO ARE THE MEK?

INU- In late October, former New York Mayer Rudy Giuliani wrote an op-ed on Townhall, in which he called on the rest of the world to listen to the Iranian people and recognise the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI/MEK) as the only legitimate alternative to the current Regime.

That’s why we wanted to dedicate this article to discovering who the MEK are, what they stand for, and why they have the support of the Iranian people and Giuliani.
Who are the MEK?

The MEK is the oldest, longest running, best organised, and largest anti-fascist resistance group in the Middle East. They formed in 1965 and have spent the past 53 years fighting the regimes of the Shah and the mullahs in order to bring freedom and democracy to Iran.
They are currently lead by Maryam Rajavi, who Giuliani hails as the “leader that [the Regime] fears the most”.

What do the MEK stand for?
The MEK believes in freedom, equality, and democracy; something enshrined in their 10-point plan for a Free Iran.
1. Democratic leadership
2. Respect for individual freedoms
3. Abolition of death penalty
4. Separation of Church and State
5. Complete gender equality
6. Reform of the justice system
7. Respect for human rights
8. Equal opportunity for all in employment
9. Peaceful Foreign Policy
10. A non-nuclear Iran

Why does the MEK enjoy such support?
The Iranian people recognise that the MEK is the only force capable of helping them overthrow the mullahs’ regime; something evident from the successful people’s protests in 2018 that have been largely directed by the MEK. The Iranian people want the mullahs gone and see that the MEK will not only achieve that, but will also institute the kind of government that the Iranian people want.

Many foreign dignitaries, including Giuliani, feel the same way. They know that Iranians deserve a free and democratic country and the only way to achieve that is with the MEK; a group that already has working relations with the rest of the world.
How does the Regime view the MEK?

The Iranian Regime view the MEK as the biggest threat to their continued rule, which is why they spend so much time, money, and effort to eliminate the MEK.

Not only does the Regime ban MEK membership in Iran, which has involved executing 30,000 MEK members en-masse in the summer of 1988 and imprisoning hundreds of thousands more, but they also target the MEK outside of Iran through propaganda campaigns and terrorist plots.
Earlier this year, the Regime has launched three separate terrorist attacks against the MEK, which were thankfully foiled by law enforcement in the US and Europe.

In March, they tried to attack the MEK at their Albania headquarters during Iranian New Year celebrations and in August, two Iranian agents were arrested in the US for spying on the MEK. In June, the Regime had its agents attempt to drive a car bomb into an MEK rally attended by 100,000 people.

The Regime often tries to portray the MEK as a fringe group, but why would the Regime pt so much effort into attacking an unimportant group?

Jiulio Terzi, Former Foreign Minister of Italy addressed the Free Iran Rally

Former Italian Prime Minister, Julio Terzi

former Foreign Minister of Italy attended the Free Iran Rally on June 30, 2018 where he addressed a jubilant crowd of tens of thousands of supporters of the Iranian Resistance.

The following is excerpts of his speech

Madam Rajavi, Dear friends; it is a great honor for these Delegation and for me to be here at this magnificent gathering tonight. A gathering which I consider a milestone very close to the achievement of a free Iran. We bring our support to you Madam Rajavi, and to all freedom fighter in Iran in the fight for regime change in Iran. We are here to tell you our profound admiration for the values you are defending not only in the interest of the Iranian people, but in the interest of all humanity. I announce my unconditional support to President elect Rajavi and to PMOI/MEK is even more determined. Now that the desperate and failing to theocracy is trying to a role also Reza Pahlavi Jr. the son of a dictator, the last Shah of Iran. They are trying to role him among the friends of this criminal regime from his golden exile. The son of the last and discredited ruler of Iran speaks against the only and truly democratic resistance which is the PMOI/MEK. Is it a family revenge? Is it anger because of the fight for democracy and freedom that the Mojahedin have always pursued against the dictator first, and the mullah regime after? We refuse to fall in this new trap of the regime. A large part of the Italian society is convinced that being we you means to be on the right side of history. In preparation of this Grand Gathering 38 Italian senators have issued their declaration of support the Iranian people for their uprising, for their resistance against the regime and for their fight for freedom and democracy. And Senator my friend Roberto Rampit will explain what was the initiative of the Italian Senate for the preparation of this gathering. But let me quote just a couple of sentence of that declaration which says it is nearly four decades the regions dictatorship ruling Iran has been denounced for its continuous and gross violation of human rights. More than 120000 Iranian defenders of democracy have been arbitrarily detained tortured and executed. More than 30000 political prisoners were massacred in the summer of 1988 and those perpetrators must be brought to justice. That says this last group of Italian Senators. 

Madam Rajavi has recently said from the outset, the regime has been in war with the people of Iran. All the other wars have been designed to cover up this main conflict. But these wars are no indication of the regime's strength. They are indication that no government has ever attempted to prevent the regime's belligerence. Time for action has come and a new era for regional and global security arises from the shores of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Americans and Europeans need to test their common will and fundamental values to together to prove their commitment no better opportunity exists than an active, strong support to the Iranian Resistance for a regime change in Iran. Thank you.

Iran: Former Notorious Judge Disappears And Escapes Arrest

Mortazavi can give an important insight into many of the regime’s crimes over the years. However, it is likely that the secrets have disappeared with him.

 Saeed Mortazavi, a former Iranian Regime Prosecutor General, and an infamous judge was due to start a 24-month prison sentence for playing a role in the execution of detained prisoners.

A spokesman for the judiciary of Iran Regime, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, has announced that Mortazavi has disappeared. The news comes shortly after the media adviser to President Hassan Rouhani warned that this may happen.

There has been much criticism about the case since the very beginning. The judicial process has lasted almost a decade.

It was established that Mortazavi has broken the law on a number of occasions. He has been part of a harassment campaign against journalists and had a role in the 2003 murder of Zahra Kazemi, a Canadian-Iranian journalist.

Mortazavi’s role in the murder of three young Iranians after the 2009 uprising. The three men were detained in a camp just outside the country’s capital city. One of the victims was Mohsen Rouholamini. His father, Abdolhossein Rouholamini, has spent years campaigning for justice and has tried his utmost to ensure that Mortazavi is held accountable for his actions.

Majid Taheri, Abdolhossein Rouholamini’s lawyer, said that not only has Mortazavi managed to disappear, but his case files for the trial are no longer available at the court.

Media outlets in the country confirmed that Mortazavi was handed a two-year sentence but that the authorities have not been able to arrest him as his whereabouts remain a mystery.

Several officials have warned that Mortazavi may attempt to leave the country so have called for heightened vigilance.

Mortazavi was a former judge in Tehran and he was given the nickname “the hangman of the press”. He occupied the position from the mid-nineties for more than a decade. Journalists were, in particular, a target for Mortazavi and he imprisoned many. He also put a ban on dozens of reformist publications.

He has been involved in some horrific and unjust acts of repression in the style of the cruel and corrupt regime. People have taken to social media to comment on the case and many have questioned whether Mortazavi disappeared on his own initiative or if he was given help by the authorities. After all, he served the regime in its cruel and unjust persecution of dissidents, so perhaps the authorities are repaying the favor.

Mortazavi can give an important insight into many of the regime’s crimes over the years. However, it is likely that the secrets have disappeared with him.

Over the past few years, there have been numerous calls for justice for the opposition members and dissidents who have been killed by the regime.

There has been a renewed call for justice for the 1988 massacre in which more than 30,000 people were killed during one single summer. Still, the crime – which is considered a crime against humanity – has gone unpunished. The perpetrators of the massacre have since occupied high positions in the regime and are basking in impunity