Screenshot from Balkanweb TV service
For over ten years, Albania has hosted a camp of Iranian mujaheddin, thanks to an agreement with the USA. This caused the termination of relations between Tehran and Tirana. In recent days, the Albanian police raided the mujahideen camp, suspected of interference in computer systems and of terrorism
On June 20, several dozen forces of the State Police and the special anti-terrorism unit intervened inside the Ashraf 3 camp with an inspection order issued by the Special Structure Against Corruption and Organized Crime (SPAK), as part of the investigative operation on the alleged involvement of some mujaheddin in activities of interference in IT systems and terrorism.
Members of the MEK (Mojahedin-e Khalq) resisted the security forces in an attempt to prevent the authorities from inspecting their premises, on the grounds that they had not been notified earlier. To disperse the crowd, the police used tear gas and pepper spray.
The police intervention followed proceedings filed by SPAK on May 15 for six counts of charges against MEK members, including the crime of “provocation of war”, “illegal interception of computer data”, “interference in computer systems”.
15 officers were injured in the clash, several vehicles were damaged and 21 mujahideen were taken to hospital for tests. The death of a 79-year-old MEK member with previous heart problems was reported. From the first investigations there are no signs of violence on the deceased and the medico-legal report is awaited.
The Minister of the Interior, Bledar Çuçi, eats immediately declared that his death “was not caused by any action by the police”. Furthermore, he said he was outraged by the MEK’s reaction against the police and said that the judicial authorities will have to proceed with the investigation into the responsibilities: “It is not only a violation of Albanian legislation for those who live in the country, but also a sort of violation of the hospitality code that we have offered”.
Despite tensions, the operation resulted in the seizure of around 150 electronic devices, computers and servers, which are suspected to have been used by MEK members in their activities against Iranian government authorities.
The Ashraf 3 camp is located in Manzë, a fraction of the municipality of Durres, made up of 127 buildings spread over a land of 40 hectares. It was built almost from scratch and looks like a fortified village, and is monitored by security cameras. It is home to around 3,000 inhabitants, all of whom are members of the National Liberation Army of Iran, also known as the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK).
Little is known about the functioning of the camp. The MEK has always refused to speak to journalists and the little information we have has emerged from the sporadic stories of the few former members who managed to detach themselves from the organization, rebuilding a new life for themselves in Tirana. In the few stories it is clear that a hierarchical and military regime is in force inside the camp, and the almost total isolation from the outside and from family members.
Extremely left-wing, the MEK was founded in 1965 to counter the regime of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in Iran. Over the years, he has become the main opposition group to the Ayatollah regime, building a controversial profile. It is still unknown who finances their activities.
In 2012, the centre-right government of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha accepted the Obama administration’s proposal to relocate some 200 MEK members to Albania. The media believe that the only condition Albania placed on the Americans was to remove the group from the list of terrorist organizations, where it had been included by the USA in 1997. And so it happened.
With the arrival of Edi Rama’s socialist government in 2013, the number of mujahideen hosted in the camp increased further, and in the following three years it reached 3,000 people. The commitment undertaken by Albania foresees their hospitality for humanitarian reasons, and for their relocation the USA has contributed 20 million dollars, with the direct involvement of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).
The reactions
In the past, the main political parties have expressed general support for hosting the MEK, thus safeguarding relations with the United States. Today, however, several security experts believe that in recent years the Albanian authorities have not adequately monitored the work of the MEK on the national territory, also considering the organization’s profile and involvement in paramilitary activities.
In this regard, part of a 2018 document signed by former police chief Ardi Veliu appeared on social media in recent days, from which it emerges that the presence of the mujahideen could be a source of instability and a serious threat to national security. At the moment, it has not been possible to verify what measures have actually been taken by the authorities to counter this potential danger.
According to statements by Deputy Interior Minister Julian Hodaj, issued to Euronews Albania a few days ago, that the authorities do not intend to withdraw from the MEK members’ hospitality agreement and reiterated that the entire hosted community will not be prosecuted: “Criminal responsibilities are individual and the individuals who committed the crimes will pay the due consequences, from penalties to deportation, but this has nothing to do with the community”.
The statement from the US State Department also came in support of the Albanian authorities, which recognizes the right of the Albanian authorities to investigate any possible illegal activity within the national territory: “The Albanian police have assured us that the police operation was carried out in accordance with the laws in force”.
The former prosecutor for serious crimes, Eugen Beci, said on June 28 that in legal terms there was no real agreement between the Albanian authorities and the MEK. With the intermediation of the UNHCR and in accordance with international conventions, all MEK members have signed a letter of commitment stating that they will not engage in politics during their stay on Albanian soil.
The escalation of events in recent months has negatively affected the general perception of public opinion towards Iran, and consequently also towards MEK members. Data from the National Security Barometer show that in 2019 only 27.9% of the citizens interviewed considered Tehran a potential danger to the country’s security, while in 2022 this perception was shared by three out of four citizens.
Relations with Iran
As a result of the Mujahideen’s move to Albania, relations between Tirana and Tehran deteriorated significantly. In December 2018, the Albanian government requested the removal of Iranian ambassador Gholamhossein Mohammadnia and a second diplomat from the national territory, on suspicion of activities that undermined the country’s security.
On the other hand, in a note verbale sent by the Iranian Foreign Ministry to its Albanian colleagues, it was reported that the Iranian authorities had arrested three teams of terrorist origin on its territory, which had been trained in the MEK camp in Albania.
During 2022, Albanian institutions suffered a series of cyber attacks suspected to have been carried out by hackers affiliated with the government of Iran, resulting in the blockage of various government activities – such as the public services platform e-Albania and the border police control system TIMS – and the dissemination of a large amount of sensitive data of citizens. Despite the several million dollars provided by the US to Albania to strengthen its computer systems, these cyber attacks have exposed the flaws in Albanian security systems, paralyzing the work of the state for several days.
Faced with allegations of his involvement in the 2022 cyber attacks, the Tehran government did not fail to react, denying any responsibility. The SPAK investigative file also reports that the 2022 cyber attacks against Albania are identical to those suffered by Iran a few months earlier, for which MEK members are held responsible.
From summer 2022 Albania has therefore decided to sever diplomatic relations with Tehran.
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