NCRI – On November 28, 2005, the Portuguese ultra-right website “Fórum Nacional” which is a mouthpiece of “Frente Nacional” [National Front] published a report – a first part in Portuguese, a second in French – with detailed information on the political views and activities of Mr. Paulo Casaca, MEP from Portugal. He is an authority when it comes to opposing the policies of the Iranian religious dictatorship in suppressing the Iranian people and meddling in the neighbouring Iraq. The website accused him of having “terrorist friends,” a direct reference to the main Iranian opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI).
The following day, the same article appeared again in the Expresso (the Portuguese daily) under Mr. Daniel do Rosário’s name. However, there was no mention of the original source, Fórum Nacional website, and thus misleading the readers.
On June 17, 2006, under the title “Portuguese ultra-right looks for funds in Iran” investigative reporters Ana Isabel Abrunhosa and Hugo Franco – questionably, in the same newspaper, Expresso – presented a detailed report on the links between Fórum Nacional and the Iranian regime’s leaders.
Again, on March 21, 2008, another investigative reporter, Rui Gustavo, wrote in Expresso how Fórum Nacional was targeting public figures such as Mr. Casaca.
Confronted with what was printed in Expresso earlier its editor in chief vaguely referred to a “defamation” campaign going on for sometime now. He has not made any mention of re-prints from a website accused of having close ties with Tehran regime.
The mullahs’ regime is notorious for it animosity toward prominent political figures in the West for their opposition to the regime and promoting democracy and human rights in Iran. Enticements, threats or outright vigorous campaign to discredit them are amongst the dirty tactics often employed by the Iranian regime against such figures.
We have written extensively about similar disinformation campaigns embarked by the mullahs’ regime in the past and we will continue in the future.
It is high time that “Expresso” explains to its readers about a new “Iran gate” in progress, this time in Portugal.
Two very import notes:
1. Does “Expresso” think it is appropriate to re-print ultra-right Iranian funded attacks on Portuguese politicians pretending they were real investigative reports?
2. Does “Expresso” think it is suitable to support sites belonging to ultra right gangs that target distinguished politicians?
———
Mr. Casaca is the author of two informative books about the Iranian regime and its meddling in Iraq:
– People’s Mojahedin of Iran – Mission report – Published by L’Harmattan, September 2005
– The Hidden invasion of Iraq – Published by Acacia Publishing Inc. 2008