On April 6, 2012, on the eve of the first anniversary of the April 8 massacre of the Iranian dissidents at Camp Ashraf by the Iraqi forces, a bi-partisan panel of prominent US former officials and human rights luminaries reiterated their support for the People's Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK). They said they refuse to abandon their efforts to have the group removed from the State Department's terrorist list, despite indirect warnings from the Treasury Department that their support for the group could constitute a crime. The panel stressed that they won’t bow to the scare tactics and intimidations and instead will double their efforts for the cause of freedom and democracy in Iran and the … [Read more...]
Undeterred, the Bi-Partisan Panel Reaffirms Support for MEK Delisting, Vows to Double Efforts
April 9, 2012 By
Former US Officials Reiterate Backing for Delisting the Iranian Opposition Group, Say They Will Not be Intimidated or Silenced
April 9, 2012 By
WASHINGTON, April 9, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- A group of prominent former officials say they refuse to abandon their support for the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and their efforts to have the group removed from the State Department's terrorist list, despite indirect warnings from the Treasury Department that their support for the group could constitute a crime. "I never knew obtaining a subpoena from your own government would be so much fun," former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell told a crowd of nearly 1,000 at an event to commemorate the first anniversary of an attack by Iraqi military forces against Iranian citizens in the Camp Ashraf in Iraq, where 36, including eight … [Read more...]
“Iranian Embassy” Inside The European Parliament
April 6, 2012 By
OfficialWire.com The meeting last week of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Iran was the scene of a rare confrontation between the pro-Iran faction headed by the Greens group and those wanting to see a fundamental change. At the issue was the election of a vice-president of the Delegation, a seat left vacant since a German member holding it from the largest political group, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), recently left the parliament. According to the d’Hont rule - a method maintaining the proportionality of seats per size of each political group - the post should go to a Member of European Parliament (MEP) from the EPP. Josef Daul, the … [Read more...]
Camp Ashraf dissidents brave enough to stand up to Iran must be protected by the West
April 6, 2012 By
DAILY MILL Eight women were either shot at close range or crushed to death under the wheels of armoured vehicles when Iraqi forces stormed Camp Ashraf, near Baghdad, on April 8 last year, a reason to pause this Easter Sunday in their remembrance. In all, 36 people were massacred on that day: all of them supporters of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the arch enemies of the mullahs who today govern Tehran. Hundreds of Camp Ashraf residents were also severely wounded. While the raid is notorious across the world, no-one has been held accountable. Calls for an independent inquiry by the U.S. Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, EU's Foreign Policy Chief Catherine … [Read more...]
Camp Ashraf massacre: ‘Hypocrisy runs deep’
April 6, 2012 By
WND.COM Col. Wesley Martin warns Iranian dissidents must be protected by West About a year ago, members of the Iraqi army killed 34 members of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran at Camp Ashraf. The story drew little coverage but serves as a symbol of countless mistakes from both the Bush and Obama administrations in Iraq. That’s the opinion of retired U.S. Army Col. Wesley Martin, who was commander of Camp Ashraf at the time of the massacre. Martin explains why he’s outraged that the Iranian group was considered a terrorist group by our own government at the time and still is today. “The hypocrisy runs deep. Iraq is going to pull further away from the U.S. The only reason … [Read more...]
On the Anniversary of April 8 Camp Ashraf Massacre, ISDCI Calls on the International Community to Protect Members of Iranian Opposition (MEK) Living in Iraq
April 6, 2012 By
LONDON, April 6, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- On the anniversary of the April 8, massacre of the residents of Camp Ashraf, International Solidarity for a Democratic Change in Iran (ISDCI) calls on UN, US and EU to take necessary steps to guarantee safety and basic human rights of the residents. ISDCI also calls on US Secretary Clinton to, firstly, uphold her last year's December 25 commitment for a "robust Monitoring" by the U.S. at Camp Liberty and secondly remove the terror tag on the Iran's most important opposition movement, the MEK, which is an absolute necessity to facilitate resettlement to third countries. The UN Security Council is expected to discuss Iraq, including the … [Read more...]
U.S. Hurting Iran Opposition
April 6, 2012 By
ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL While the U.S. has announced it would provide military aid and financial assistance to yet another brave opposition movement in the so-called Arab Spring, Washington remains strangely irresolute concerning the plight of the Iranian opposition, who are the linchpin in confronting America’s greatest regional strategic challenge: the Iranian regime and its race toward nuclear weapons. Indeed, America’s move to arm the Syrian resistance, following our decisive military intervention in Libya, stands in stark contrast with our dithering over the fate of the only organized, secular, democratic opposition to the mullahs in Tehran. To date, America’s policy response … [Read more...]
Former US Military Commanders Voice Outrage Over BBC’s Politically-motivated Campaign Against Camp Ashraf Residents
April 5, 2012 By
WASHINGTON, April 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In a letter to the Director of Global News for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), a copy of which was provided to the US Committee for Camp Ashraf Residents (USCCAR), two highly-decorated former senior US military commanders in Iraq have expressed their concerns about a highly politically-motivated and questionable report the BBC radio is preparing about residents of Camp Ashraf in Iraq and the People's Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK). In their letter, Brigadier General David Phillips, Commander of the 89th Military Police Brigade (2004 – 2005), and Colonel Wes Martin, Antiterrorism Officer for all Coalition Forces in Iraq (2003 … [Read more...]
A year after the massacre in Camp Ashraf, UN has to carry out its commitment to the residents
April 5, 2012 By
AllVoices.COM The phone kept ringing non-stop in the early hours of April 8 last year. At the other end of the phone was an Iranian friend I have known for years. It was very unusual for him to call that early. In a broken voice and as he was sobbing, he said Camp Ashraf was attacked by the Iraqi armed forces. I understood it would be a human rights disaster. As a human rights activist who has monitored situations the world over, I have been familiar with the human rights situation in Iran for years and I analyzed the egregious conduct of Tehran rulers against its citizens, in particular its arch opponents. In particular, I have followed the ordeal regarding the residents of Camp … [Read more...]
The most powerful weapon Obama can deploy against Iran
FoxNews.com By Tom Ridge, General Hugh Shelton, Patrick Kennedy To believe that the resumption of negotiations in Istanbul could -- or ever will --avert Iranian nuclear breakout and a possible Middle East conflagration, is to believe in the triumph of hope over experience. When it comes to the Mullahs’ intentions, however, we believe that the past is best viewed as prologue. Consider that on the eve of these new negotiations, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brazenly mocked President Obama’s “last chance” proffer to the Mullahs, declaring that sanctions were a failure because Iran has stockpiled enough hard currency to survive for years without selling any oil. True or not, the fact … [Read more...]