Leaked confidential information from Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reveals that a so-called “former member of the MEK,” who was interviewed by Lusia Hommerich for the German magazine, Spiegel, was actually an agent of the Iranian regime. Gholamreza Shekari was hired by the Iranian Embassy in Tirana and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence to pose as an opponent of the regime and spread disinformation to demonize the Iranian resistance.
One leaked document contains a letter from Shekari’s mother, who refers to him as a collaborator of the Ministry of Intelligence. She requests that the Foreign Ministry facilitate her son’s return to Iran, citing that he has been doing all kinds of cooperation with the Embassy of the Islamic Republic, the Ministry of Intelligence, the Army Protection, and the Nejat Group. She also mentions that he has taken risks to separate other members and expose the “terrorist nature of the MEK publicly.”
In February 2019, Spiegel magazine published an article titled “Prisoners of the Rebellion,” in which they interviewed Shekari under the guise of a “former member of the MEK.” He claimed that he was tortured by the MEK and made several accusations against the organization and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). The NCRI’s office in Germany filed a complaint with the Hamburg court regarding the lies contained in the article.
After an urgent hearing, the Hamburg court ruled in favor of the NCRI office and ordered Spiegel magazine to remove the contested allegations from its February 16 issue against the MEK and its members in Albania and not to repeat those claims.
Operation by #Iran’s Regime Secret Agents To Infiltrate the Media and Vilify the MEK in Albania Exposed https://t.co/ynfVjIlLBz
— Ali Safavi (@amsafavi) August 3, 2022
Shekari has made similar false allegations to other Western media outlets. In one example, in an interview with UK Channel 4 to dramatize the case, his face was not shown. Reporters and the editorials of both Spiegel and Channel 4 were warned about agents of the Iranian regime making such false claims. In the case of Spiegel, specific information was provided to its editorial before the publication of the article about Shekai and his connection with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).
Shekari is one of the employed agents of the MOIS based in Albania and was arrested twice in 2022 due to suspected connections with the regime’s intelligence and terrorist network. The Albanian police have interrogated him and 19 other suspects, and he is currently being held in a closed camp since his second arrest on November 10, 2022.
Excerpts of a letter from Shekari’s mother from a leaked document:
I, Zumoroad Amini, the wife of martyr Mir Ali Shekari (mother of Gholamreza Shekari), who for four years did hard work herself and other family members with all the hardships in order to destroy the organization of the hypocrites, and thank God that we were able to play a role with other families. We did play a very important role in this matter, which has finally caused the escape and relocation of the members of the hypocrites from Iraq to Albania.
Considering that my son Gholamreza has announced his separation for a year and a half and has been doing all types of cooperation with the Embassy of the Islamic Republic (Ministry of Intelligence, Army Protection, Nejat Group) and has been trying to free and separate other members and expose the terrorist nature of the mentioned organization publicly and doing so have taken the risk of his life and safety.
Now that the organization is on the verge of destruction… Please consider my efforts and unhesitating cooperation regarding my child’s return (to Iran) and take the necessary measures and show your grace and love to the expectant mother.
Thank you, Zumoroad Amini.
Background:
On May 7, a dissident group from Iran, Ghiam ta Sarnegouni (uprising until regime overthrow), took control of 210 websites, apps, servers, and databases belonging to Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, obtaining tens of thousands of classified documents. A collection of documents reveals the extent to which the regime utilizes these so-called former members against the MEK.
Albanian Police Operation Debunked MOIS Agents Disguised As Sources to Western Mediahttps://t.co/rKbQlbQLnX
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) August 11, 2022
For over 40 years, the Iranian regime has attempted to eliminate its primary opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), by using repressive tactics such as executions, massacres, imprisonment, torture, propaganda, and defamation. One of the regime’s primary tactics for discrediting the MEK is to utilize individuals expelled from the organization. By recruiting such individuals and concealing their identities as mercenaries for the Iranian regime, the regime aims to give credence to their lies and utilize them against the MEK in the international community and the media.
Gholamreza Shekari is one such individual who was recruited by the Iranian embassy in Tirana, Albania, and became an agent for Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence. For years, he disseminated false information about the MEK while posing as a regime opponent. Many respected Western media outlets cited him and used him as a source in various articles against the MEK.
