TEHRAN The human heart craves family.
Its vital for our well-being, providing warmth, security, and a sense of belonging.
However for a terrorist group that has actually isolated over 2000 people in a cloistered neighborhood at the heart of Europe, familial bonds are not a source of strength, but a threat to obedience.Within the Ashraf camp in Albania, all that matters is how members serve the Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) leadership.
Family is considered a diversion from the instructions of the leaders.
The group guaranteed this belief was etched in the hearts and minds of its members during the 1990s and 2000s by forcing all couples in the original Ashraf camp in Iraq to divorce and then sending their children away.
At least 800 children were separated from their moms and dads and transferred to Europe, without any subsequent reunification.The MEK has likewise actively worked to prevent its members remaining family members in Iran from contacting those inside the camp.
Therein, MEK people do not have access to phones, web, or anything else that might assist them link to their liked ones back in Iran.
When they do use phones or any other device that could act as a method of interaction, they are never ever unfettered; their every move is kept an eye on by a higher-ranking member of the organization, according to Ebrahim Khodabandeh, a former MEK member and present CEO of the Nejat Association, a Tehran-based entity with workplaces throughout Iran and Europe that helps households seeking contact with liked ones in the MEK.
As a former member of the horror group, I understand its difficult for those in the Ashraf camp to contact their enjoyed ones, he described.
Thats assuming theyve even overcome the companys brainwashing, which informs them their households abhor them and would readily hand them over to Iranian forces.
He included, But that could not be further from the truth.
Households throughout Iran desperately look for to get in touch with their loved ones in the Ashraf camp.
For the previous two decades, Ive received calls every day from individuals sobbing and pleading me to assist them find a sister, bro, father, mother, boy, or daughter they have not spoken with in years.
Khodabandeh discussed that the hopes of these households were typically basic; most wanted nothing more than to understand if the individual who left them years earlier was still alive.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) ought to be the company making this possible, he declared.
It is with excellent regret that I must state they have failed to provide appropriate support in this regard.
Ebrahim Khodabandeh, the CEO of Nejat AssociationThe Red Cross has a mandate and a long history of assisting relative discover their loved ones, particularly in situations of armed conflict, other circumstances of violence, natural disasters, and migration.
This work is a core part of their humanitarian mission and is referred to as Restoring Family Links (RFL).
In his remarks to the Tehran Times, Khodabandeh noted that he was aware of cases where the Red Cross provided letters from Al-Qaeda members to their households in Saudi Arabia, which made their failure in helping the families of MEK members all the more shocking.
Ive lost count of the times Ive spoken to ICRC authorities in Iran, Albania, and Geneva, where their headquarters are, he specified.
I likewise write to them every year on World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, May 8.
Ive never received a satisfying explanation as to why we have not been able to link these individuals with their household members in the Ashraf camp.
They have actually stopped reacting to me completely recently.
The Ashraf camp in Albania works as a state within a state.
Previously, help employees trying to deliver letters from relative in Iran or other nations were turned away at eviction and rejected any contact with MEK members.
The ICRC stated the organization informed them the people we were attempting to reach didnt wantthe letters, Khodabandeh stated.
When I pressed them, asking how they might possibly justify that flimsy excuse, they had absolutely nothing to inform me.
The MEKs treatment of its members not only violates international legal standards, including UN and humanitarian laws, but also contravenes of the Constitution of Albania.
Specifically, the groups practices within Camp Ashraf violate Articles 16, 17, 18, 19, and 21, which ensure rights such as individual flexibility and security, inviolability of residence, flexibility of expression, liberty of association, and access to information.The ICRC need to get in touch with the Albanian federal government and help with contact through the authorities there.
I do not comprehend why they arent helping us with this.
All I know is that based upon their own mandates, it is their obligation, The CEO of the Nejat Association stated.
I am writing to the ICRC once again this year on May 8th.
I hope that they compose back to me, and at least deal explanations regarding why they are not able to satisfy their mandate.
Another body that appears to be failing on its responsibilities when it pertains to the alarming circumstance in the Ashraf Camp is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The entity recognized MEK members as refugees when they were stationed in Iraq, which obliges UNHCR employees to now personally meet with them in Albania, and ensure that these members enjoy basic human rights, including the right to life, liberty, and security of person; liberty of movement; civil liberty; freedom of expression; and the right to education.The Tehran Times comprehends that the actions of European states concerning terrorism have actually influenced companies like the ICRC and the UNHCR.
The West tends to classify terrorists into bad and great groups.
Due to its anti-Iran activities, the MEK is considered a good terrorist organization by the West, according to info gotten by the Tehran Times.
Subsequently, help organizations are typically less most likely to advocate for the rights of individuals connected to the MEK or investigate the groups human rights infractions.
This short article very first appeared/also appeared in Tehran Times