Iranian communities across the world have been expressing their disgust and outrage an article by former State Department official Daniel Benjamin in the NBC News website, making false allegations against the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the main Iranian opposition movement. In a letter to the editor of NBC The Italian Committee of Parliamentarians and Citizens for a Free Iran criticized the spreading of propaganda that only serves the interests of the tyrannical mullahs’ regime ruling Iran. The full text of the letter follows:
Dear Editor-in-chief,
The Italian Committee of Parliamentarians and Citizens for a Free Iran would like to express its concern about the article published by NBC on October 17, which included old and ungrounded allegations against the Iranian opposition movement Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK). As we have been following with attention the situation of Iran for many years, we are familiar with the resistance movement and we can testify about their strong support for democracy and fundamental human rights, including among else gender equality, which they are committed to bring to their country.
After 4 decades of terror regime in Iran, we do believe that free and independent media worldwide, civil society, and democratic governments and institutions in the international community should honor all the brave Iranians that struggle for freedom. Among them, exactly the MEK proved to be the main opposition group, and it comes with no surprise to us that so many high-level personalities not only in the USA, but in tens of countries recognize them as a reliable basis for an alternative to the ayatollahs’ regime.
While all the old allegation against MEK, regarding episodes of 40 or more years ago, have been demonstrated false by several courts, and while even their designation as a Foreign Terrorist Organization has been obviously cancelled in Europe and in the USA (in this case, following a sentence by a Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 2012), we should remind that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization this year. This clearly means that the terrorists and the “histories of blood” have to be found within the ayatollahs’ regime, and evidently not among their opponents either in the country or in exile.
We should also recall that in 2018 several terrorist plots by Iranian regime’s officials and agents have been foiled in European countries, such as France and Albania, and Iranian officials have been arrested in this frame in Belgium and in Germany. All such plots were aimed to bombing gatherings or residences of members of MEK and their supporters, including among else prominent American citizens.
We would therefore reiterate our esteem and support for the MEK and for the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which have been both targets of bias in the above-mentioned article by NBC, and we ask you to publish a proper rebuttal.
Sincerely,
Hon. Stefania Pezzopane, President
Hon. Antonio Tasso, Co- President
Dr. Antonio Stango, Coordinator
Italian Committee of Parliamentarians and Citizens for a Free Iran
Rome, October 30, 2019.
