TEHRAN – Chief of a non-governmental organization (NGO) called Nejat Society (Society of Saviors) believes that now the MKO has turned into a burden for the West and that the West can no longer use them as a “asset”.
The comments by Ebrahim Khodabandeh comes Albanian authorities ordered a raid on a MKO camp near the capital, Tirana, that houses thousands of members of the group. The U.S. has also expressed support for the raid.
Albanian state police seized dozens of computers on June 20 during the raid on the Ashraf 3 camp where some 2,800 members of the MKO, also called MEK, live after local media reported that the group is suspected of orchestrating cyberattacks against foreign institutions.
“This group is no longer considered a threat for Iran, rather they are always a threat to the host country,” Khodabandeh told IRNA on Friday as families whose loved ones are in captivity of the MKO gathered in front of the Turkish embassy in Tehran.
Turkey has been representing Albania’s interest in Iran since Tirana cut diplomatic ties with Iran in July 2022.
“The Nejat Society is composed of families whose loved ones are members of the Mujahedin Khalq Organization that are now held in the camp of this group, and are in a sense the hostages of this organization.”
Khodabandeh said, “The members of this organization have no access to anything outside (the organization) and it is for ten years that they cannot have contact with their families.”
The NGO chief added, “Fortunately, today we are witnessing that the government of Albanian has found out about the terrorist nature of sectarian group.”
He went on to say that the Tirana government was preventing the entry of Iranian citizen to Albania under pressure by the MKO leaders and “now we want this barrier is removed so that families can visit this country and follow the case of their loves ones there.”
In the June 20 raid Albanian police declined to provide specifics of the investigation, which was ordered by the Albanian judiciary due to the violation of agreements the group made when they settled in Albania a decade ago.
The U.S. State Department said in an e-mail to RFE/RL that American authorities were informed that the raid was conducted lawfully and voiced support for Tirana's sovereign right to take such action.
"The Albanian State Police have assured us that all actions were conducted in accordance with applicable laws, including with regard to the protection of the rights and freedoms of all persons in Albania. We support the Government of Albania’s right to investigate any potential illegal activities within its territory," the State Department statement said.
MKO representatives claimed that one elderly person died as a result of the use of tear gas by police during the raid, but Albania's interior minister and the police, who released a video recording of the operation, denied responsibility.
The reported death had nothing to do with the actions of the police, Interior Minister Bledi Cuci said.
"I guarantee you that no person was touched during the police operation," Cuci said at a news conference, adding that the reaction of the MKO was "unacceptable, intolerable, and reprehensible."
"They are in Albania according to an agreement that stipulates that they will not carry out political activities or protests, and they are sheltered only for humanitarian purposes," Cuci said.
State Police Director-General Muhamet Rrumbullaku said 15 police officers and 21 members of the MKO were injured and several police cars were damaged.
He said MKO members began to resist when police found server rooms and computer equipment that they suspected were illegal. Police seized 96 computer units and about 50 laptops and tablets, he said, adding that there was an attempt to burn some documents during the operation.
The raid was part of an investigation by the Special Structure Against Organized Crime and Corruption (SPAK). None of the officials disclosed what the SPAK investigation is about.
"The prosecutor's office has initiated several criminal cases, but I cannot tell you why the Iranians of the MKO are suspected," Cuci said.
Rrumbullaku said that all who used violence against the police have been identified and that there will be consequences for the leaders of the camp who did not cooperate.
The MEK left Iraq, where they had their camp before, in 2013, under a UN- and U.S.-backed deal and settled in other countries, including Albania.
The State Department reiterated in its statement that the U.S. government does not regard the MKO as a democratic group.
"The State Department continues to have serious concerns about the [MKO] as an organization, including allegations of abuse committed against its own members," the statement concluded.
The MKO killed U.S. personnel in Iran during the 1970s and also carried out a series of terror attacks on Iranian embassies in 13 different countries in 1992, leading to its inclusion on the lists of terrorist organizations of the United States, Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom.
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