POMED Notes: Repercussions of Delisting the MEK

On Thursday the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) hosted a panel discussion entitled “The Repercussions of Delisting the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).” The panelists were Maziar Bahari, former Newsweek reporter in Iran, human rights activist, filmmaker, and author; Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress; and Barbara Slavin, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and author.  The event was moderated by Trita Parsi, founder and current president of NIAC.

The event opened with a film clip screening of “Cult of the Chameleon,” an al-Jazeera documentary on the MEK by Maziar Bahari. A link to the 23 min documentary can be found here

Notes on the event are located below the break, or can be accessed in PDF form here.

On Thursday the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) hosted a panel discussion entitled “The Repercussions of Delisting the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).” The panelists were Maziar Bahari, former Newsweek reporter in Iran, human rights activist, filmmaker, and author; Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress; and Barbara Slavin, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and author.  The event was moderated by Trita Parsi, founder and current president of NIAC.

Trita Parsi began the event noting the unprecedented access many representatives of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), an officially designated terrorist organization, have had around Capital Hill.  He described the terror inflicted upon American and Iranian citizens at the hands of the MEK and described the well documented characterization of the MEK as a cult. Parsi noted the lack of discussion about the repercussions to the peaceful Green movement in Iran, to the region, to the U.S., and to the Iranian regime, should the MEK be delisted.

Maziar Bahari began the panel discussion, noting that all MEK members must be treated as human beings, and that they are really a victim of a cult, led by Massoud and Maryam Rajavi. Bahari noted the domestic political landscape in Iran, he described the Iranian regime’s necessity of having a staunch enemy to help maintain domestic order. The MEK is a perfect opponent for the regime because the regime incorrectly links the peaceful Green Movement with the MEK in its propaganda. Connecting the MEK and the Green Movement works to delegitimize both the MEK but especially the Green Movement for the regime.  He also noted that many in Iran still regard the U.S. as a democratic ally, but if the U.S. delists the MEK from the Foreign Terrorist Organization list, this will play into the hands of the Iranian regime and be counter to U.S. interests.

Bahari also discussed the situation in Camp Ashraf, Iraq. He described the existence of Camp Ashraf as being critical to the continued existence of the MEK.  The MEK operates as a cult organization and therefore needs an enclosed area within which to maintain control. Bahari likened Camp Ashraf to the Branch Dividian compound in Waco, TX.  He noted a RAND Corporation study which found 70% of people at the camp are there against their will.

Barbara Slavin noted that the MEK has been restrained from undertaking terrorist operations in recent years because most of its members are in Camp Ashraf, under Iraqi army guard, and unable to leave the camp. She described the “violent, bitter rivalry between the MEK and the Iranian regime” and emphasized that a delisting would enable the Iranian regime to blame the U.S. for allowing the MEK to re-engage with its previous use of terrorism. She also noted that most support for the MEK, outside of Camp Ashraf, is from family members of MEK members who were killed by the Iranian regime, after the MEK launched an attack on Iranian forces from Iraq in the late 1980’s.

Slavin also noted that if an MEK member has received training from the MEK, that person will never be allowed to enter the U.S., regardless of the MEK’s designation at that time, because they have received training from a designated terrorist organization. She encouraged the Treasury Department to examine how the MEK has been able to fund lobbying efforts with the firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and pay other individual former high-ranking U.S. administration officials to support delisting. Slavin noted that if delisting were to occur on technical grounds, then the State Department should issue a strong statement that the organization is a cult and should take measures to prevent the MEK from soliciting funds in the U.S.

Brian Katulis described the MEK issue as an annoyance for policy officials and the Obama Administration.  He described the MEK issue as being elevated because the MEK is able to pay its lobbyists and hire an expensive public relations firm, and not because it is a strategic issue. Katulis noted the necessity to allow free and open discussion about any issue, but that the MEK issue should not detract from the more important and timely issues facing top-level U.S. officials.

Katulis described any potential de-listing of the MEK as a (1) propaganda boost for the regime against the peaceful pro-democracy Green movement and (2) a public diplomacy nightmare for the U.S. because it will appear to the Iranian people as if the U.S. does not support them. He also noted his strong support for a humanitarian resolution to the Camp Ashraf issue, as the camp is under Iraqi army control. Katulis is skeptical however, that the MEK can take “yes” for an answer and change the situation at the camp or would rather maintain a “cult of martyrdom” and remain at Ashraf.

Katulis urged Congress to focus on national security and more pressing issues facing the U.S., and wait for a pragmatic solution to develop, rather than force the MEK issue to the forefront of policy debates.

During the Q&A, the panelists discussed the potential for the MEK to gain access to U.S. government resources if the organization were to be delisted. All three panelists noted the hugely negative signal delisting MEK would send to the Iranian people, especially supporters of the Green Movement. Barbara Slavin noted that many prominent members of the Green Movement were formerly linked to the MEK in the 1970’s because of the MEK’s position in the Iranian government at that time. However, in the ensuing years, many of those same members have had family and friends killed by MEK operatives and therefore delisting the MEK would send the wrong signal to the opposition Green Movement. Delisting would also feed conspiracy theories pushed by the regime about external interference in Iranian affairs.

The panelists noted that the current push for delisting the MEK has occurred because of the regularly scheduled bi-yearly review of all organizations on the Foreign Terrorist Organization list.  The European Union recently delisted the MEK on a legal technicality, over the objections of many countries.

The panelists discussed the professed goals of the MEK as being to create a democratic system in Iran, yet there is no plan on how to make the transition.  They noted that many Iranian’s are averse to speaking out against the MEK for fear of reprisals or other repercussions.  They did note the role that MEK played in informing U.S. policymakers about Iranian nuclear plants, however this information was likely passed to the MEK from a foreign source, probably Israel, and subsequent information has proven incorrect.

It is not known where the MEK receives its funding.