London, 9 Sep – After four-and-a-half years, on September 9, 2016, the last group of Camp Liberty residents left Baghdad for Albania. The final 280 residents’ departure successfully concluded the relocation process for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
Despite conspiracies, obstruction and threats, which continued throughout the long resettlement of nearly 2,000 residents of Liberty, they are now safe in European countries, including Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Italy and Spain.
In this regard Mr. Mohammad Mohaddessin, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), commented on Friday on the news that the final group of residents of Camp Liberty were successfully relocated from Iraq to Europe.
Mr. Mohaddessin described the resettlement process as a “very big and complicated operation politically, security wise and logistically to transfer all these residents who used to be in Camp Ashraf and Camp Liberty to European countries.”
“This happened due to the cooperation of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK) and the National Council of Resistance of Iran under the leadership of Mrs. Maryam Rajavi and the help of many Iranians who are living inside Iran and abroad.”
“I express the gratitude and appreciation of the Iranian Resistance to all those who were involved in this big operation,” Mr. Mohaddessin said.
“It was not an ordinary political operation; rather it was a fight against the Iranian regime. The Iranian regime used every element and every lever at its disposal to sabotage and make problems in this operation.”
“This operation took four-and-a-half years. Fortunately, with the help of all Iranians and the UNHCR, the U.S. and other relevant parties, we were able to succeed.”
“This challenge with the Iranian regime and the victory we had in this operation is an indication that the Iranian regime is in a very bad situation and that the Iranian people and the Iranian Resistance are ready to go forward,” he added.
The Iran regime did its best to annihilate the PMOI/MEK, with three massacres at Camp Ashraf, five missile attacks on Camp Liberty, and two cases of abduction of residents. Although 177 residents died as a result of these horrific attacks, ultimately the plan was futile, as the PMOI/MEK legacy will continue to live on in Europe. Because, you see, the goal was never for PMOI/MEK members to just leave the area; the goal was to eliminate them, or force them into surrender.
The regime’s inability to defeat Camp Liberty, along with the recent wave of protests and demonstrations around the world demanding justice for 30,000 political prisoners massacred in 1988, opens new opportunities for the Iranian people and for the Resistance.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), in its annual declaration adopted a few days ago, commended President-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi for her efforts behalf of the Liberty residents and their safe transfer out of Iraq. The support of distinguished American, European and Arab personalities provided a political shield for the resettlement of PMOI members, and the Iranian Resistance extended their gratitude, noting that the the safe departure of even a single MEK member from Iraq had depended on that support.
Owing to the efforts of the Iranian Resistance, the United States Congress introduced resolutions and passed legislation that required the U.S. Government to protect the residents of Liberty and safely transfer them out of Iraq. Similar resolutions and declarations were also adopted in the European Parliament, the United Kingdom, and in other European and Middle Eastern countries.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement on July 19, 2016, “UNHCR is supporting a steady and growing stream of movements out of Iraq in coming months. It is hoped that the process will be completed well before year end. This progress has been achieved with the cooperation of the residents who have proceeded with the relocation process despite difficult circumstances, including the attack on 4 July 2016, which fortunately did not result in any casualties.”
He added, “Ongoing success in the implementation of solutions has also been assisted by the residents’ commitment to meeting the bulk of the associated costs, particularly for long term support of all residents relocated out of Iraq who have no access to state-sponsored assistance.”
This, after Iraqi intelligence agents, acting at the behest of the Iranian regime’s ambassador to Iraq (a commander of the terrorist Quds Force), prevented the sale of over 90 percent of the residents’ property, even with a signed a contract with a government-approved Iraqi merchant to sell their property for $10.7 million. In the end, the residents were only allowed the sale of 10 percent of their property at one-fourth of the market price.
Additionally, $550 million worth of residents’ property at Camp Ashraf was seized and placed at the disposal of the Iraqi military and militias, during former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s tenure, The Iranian Resistance points out its legitimate right to legally pursue this matter in courts in order to receive commensurate compensation for the property.
In recent weeks, plans such as a missile-equipped truck planted at a location near Camp Liberty and was to be used at the earliest possible opportunity, were discovered and thwarted by Iraq’s Federal Police.
