What you should know about MEK or rebranded name... NCRI Founded: The Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) was founded in 1965 in Iran as an Islamist-Marxist militant organization. Assassination of Americans: Between 1973 and 1976, MEK operatives assassinated 7 U.S. military and civilian personnel in Iran, including U.S. Air Force officers and American contractors working in Tehran. Assassinations after 1979: After the 1979 revolution, MEK carried out bombings and targeted killings that have been officially attributed with the deaths of over 17,000 Iranian civilians and officials. Alliance with Saddam Hussein: In 1986, MEK formally relocated to Iraq and allied with Saddam Hussein during the Iran–Iraq war, forming the so-called National Liberation Army of Iran under Iraqi command. Participation in Iraqi Kurdish suppression: In 1991, MEK units took part alongside Saddam’s forces in suppressing Kurdish uprisings in northern Iraq. These operations resulted in the killing of between 30 to 60 thousands of Iraqi Kurds, including in Kirkuk, Khanaqin, Jalula, Tuz Khurmatu, and Kifri. Maryam Rajavi’s forced divorce and remarriage: Maryam Rajavi was originally married to Mehdi Abrishamchi. In 1985, she was compelled to divorce him and was immediately married to Massoud Rajavi as part of the group’s so-called “ideological revolution,” consolidating cult leadership. Restrictions on leaving: Members cannot freely leave the organization. Defector testimonies and human-rights reporting describe coercion, intimidation, confinement, and punitive practices against those who attempt to exit. Marriage and family bans: Marriage and family life are strictly controlled. At various periods, marriages were banned entirely. Any personal relationship requires leadership approval. Compulsory religious appearance: The organization enforces mandatory hijab and rigid religious codes for women, even after nearly five decades in exile, reflecting an extreme ideological culture out of step with contemporary Iranian society. Historic terrorist designations: The MEK was designated a terrorist organization by: United States (1997–2012), European Union (2002–2009), and Canada (2005–2012), based on verified attacks on civilians and officials. Internal detention and punishment: Defectors have documented internal prisons, solitary confinement, forced confessions, and psychological punishment camps inside MEK bases, including Camp Ashraf in Iraq. Child separation: During the 1990s, MEK leadership forcibly separated hundreds of children from their parents and sent them abroad to be raised by MEK networks in Europe and North America as part of ideological control policies. Ban on family contact: Members are forbidden from contacting parents, siblings, or children without leadership approval. Family visits are routinely blocked, even when relatives travel to MEK sites. Cult loyalty rituals: Members must participate in daily public confession sessions, reporting personal thoughts and “impure thinking” to commanders for ideological cleansing. Leader worship: Massoud and Maryam Rajavi are treated as infallible ideological figures. Public criticism of leadership is punished. Financial opacity: MEK funding sources are opaque. Investigations have raised concerns about undeclared foreign funding and lobbying payments to Western political figures. No independent media or communications: MEK camps do not allow free press access. Communications are tightly controlled. Members lack independent internet access and personal phones. No internal elections: Leadership positions are not elected by members. Authority flows downward by appointment. Despite this record, parts of the European political establishment continue to brand the MEK as “democratic” and “secular.” That characterization directly contradicts the organization’s documented history, internal structure, and long record of violence and coercion.show more
