Iranian American Refugees Will Continue Fight Over Contributions to Opposition Group

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Seven Iranian American refugees have conditionally pled guilty to providing material support to an Iranian opposition group known as the the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), in an agreement that enables them to appeal the ruling on the grounds that their prosecution violates the U.S. Constitution — an argument that the trial judge indicated should be decided by a higher court. Their challenge focuses on the fact that the MEK does not threaten U.S. national security, in large part because the U.S. government has itself provided material support to the same group, as court documents obtained in the case revealed.

The April 29, 2009 pleas by the six men and one woman were made reluctantly after an eight-year legal battle, and only on condition that the government drop over 100 other charges to which they had pleaded not guilty and allow them to pursue their argument that they should not be prosecuted for contributing to the MEK. That organization — the main Iranian opposition group — supports a free, non-nuclear Iran, has provided valuable information to the U.S. and has even worked to make the U.S. government’s “surge” in Iraq a success.

“It boggles the mind that that these seven refugees would be charged with providing material support for a so-called terrorist organization, when the U.S. government has supported the same organization for years,” said Ahilan Arulanantham, Director of Immigrants’ Rights and National Security of the ACLU of Southern California, which represents one of the seven defendants. “In the interests of justice, the federal government should drop its prosecution of this case, which is based on a law that denies due process to those accused of supporting designated terrorist organizations.”

The U.S. government officially designated the MEK as a terrorist organization in 1997 — thereby criminalizing almost all assistance rendered to the group — and has maintained that designation despite the objections of more than 228 members of Congress. Senior Clinton administration officials acknowledged at the time that the designation of the MEK was a political, "goodwill gesture" to the so-called moderate Iranian president Mohammad Khatami. The European Union and the United Kingdom initially followed the United States and made the same designation, but recently withdrew their designation after considering overwhelming evidence that the MEK does not threaten their national security. Under the U.S.’s anti-terrorism law, however, the seven defendants were not permitted to argue at a trial that the MEK was not a threat to American national security. Currently, the United States and Iran are among the few government entities to continue to officially classify the MEK as a terrorist group.

The seven refugees, some of whom were personally subjected to incarceration, persecution and torture before fleeing Iran, raised money at the Los Angeles Airport and within Los Angeles's Iranian community, and sent some of it to the MEK. The funds were used for a variety of humanitarian items, such as the purchase of shoes and other aid to Iranian refugees in Iraq, as well as the promotion of speech such as television time for ads about Iran and the publication of the group’s newspaper.

In 2002, the seven refugees successfully challenged the legitimacy of the government's prosecution, but the charges were later reinstated by the U.S. Court of Appeals. Evidence released in court recently showed, among other things, that the U.S. government supported a camp in Iraq where the MEK leadership currently resides, and provided consular services to the residents there.

“The American people are well aware that the U.S. government supports those who oppose the tyrannical Iranian regime,” said Nasser Shareef, President of the California Society for Democracy in Iran. “Under these circumstances, it is indeed ironic that the U.S. government has prosecuted these seven individuals for bravely supporting resistance against the Iranian regime, whose hands are stained with the blood of tens of thousands of Iranians at home as well as hundreds of innocent people outside Iran, including many Americans in Lebanon, Iraq and Afghanistan.”

A sentencing hearing is presently scheduled for August at which the issues of the proper designation of the MEK, the oppression and torture that some of the defendants endured in Iran, and the current working relationship between the MEK and the U.S. government (despite the continued designation) will be presented to the court.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Corona Del Mar High School officials - initial decision to cancel the musical production of “Rent: School Edition,” and their subsequent failure to address a growing atmosphere of intolerance at the school, has created a breeding ground for homophobic attitudes and has paved the way for a planned protest by a virulently anti-gay group tomorrow, ACLU/SC Staff Attorney Lori Rifkin said today.

“Despite numerous opportunities to address an atmosphere openly hostile to female, lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender students, the district has done nothing that we are aware of to curb intolerance,” Rifkin said. “There has not been a single word condemning bullying or homophobic behavior. No school assembly has been held to address harassment. School officials released a public statement about the play recently that offers nominal support for the drama department and student cast members, but distances district and school administrators from the production and emphasizes that it is "not a school sanctioned event - and that it contains "adult content.'

“This tepid and inaccurate statement, on the eve of a protest by Fred Phelps - vitriolic hate group that could eclipse the musical production and leave cast members feeling vulnerable and scared on stage, is simply inadequate and unacceptable,” Rifkin continued. Phelps - extremist Westboro Baptist Church prominently features the language “God Hates Fags” on its website.

Rifkin added that the protest – along with school officials - nonaction in the face of controversy -- will likely mar memories of the event in many students - minds for years to come.

“By permitting a homophobic atmosphere to flourish, the principal of Corona del Mar High School and district personnel have threatened to make students - lasting memory of this school play one of hatred, rather than of joy and excitement that comes from months of hard work and relationships built preparing for production,” Rifkin pointed out.

“High school plays are often fondly remembered because they embody creativity, cooperation and values fostered by school administrators -- not, as here, bigotry and intolerance. But school personnel and district officials could prevent this poisonous atmosphere from spreading further,” she said. “Now is the perfect time to stand up for students, condemn intolerance and address the disturbing atmosphere of homophobia that has flourished at Corona Del Mar High School.”

The ACLU/SC sued Newport-Mesa Unified School District and officials of Corona del Mar High School on March 18 for allowing a hostile environment to develop toward gay and female students that led to death threats against one student. In the lawsuit, the ACLU/SC specifically cites the high school's initial cancellation of “Rent: School Edition,” a version of the gay-themed musical that ran on Broadway for more than a decade.