Albanian analyst: European countries will face legal problems if they continue hosting the Monafeghin

The trial examining the crimes of the Monafeghin began in Iran in December 2023 and is still ongoing. Following the holding of 48 court sessions related to this case, numerous domestic and foreign analysts and experts have examined various dimensions of the process.

In an interview with Gazeta Impact, Olsi Yazichi, an Albanian historian and a faculty member at the International Islamic University of Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, spoke about the contradiction between the actions of European countries — especially France and the United Kingdom — in providing refuge to members of the Monafeghin and their commitments under international documents and conventions on counterterrorism. He said that, under the law, European countries must refrain from accepting and hosting Monafeghin members.

Referring to the security consequences of hosting Monafeghin members as individuals with a history of violent and terrorist activities at the international level, he added: If Iran’s court convicts the members of the Monafeghin, European governments will face an additional legal dilemma. Iran is a member of Interpol, and the names of the convicted individuals will appear in Interpol’s international wanted persons database.

Yazichi continued: From a legal standpoint, granting asylum to individuals with militant and terrorist backgrounds who are internationally wanted will be extremely problematic — if not impossible — for European countries. Dealing with such cases creates a major legal and diplomatic nightmare for any host country.

The Albanian historian further stated that the Monafeghin has a long history of smuggling its members into Western Europe, saying: In many cases, the organization’s leadership network provides its members with forged passports, safe houses, and money to help them escape to Western Europe. Members who cannot afford the costs of this illegal trafficking are often forced to fabricate stories attributed to defectors, Iranian institutions, and various opponents of the organization.

He also said that members of the organization live a miserable life in Camp Ashraf 3 in Manëz, Albania, adding: They live in the shadow of their terrorist past with no future.

According to Yazichi, life under the group’s supervision — under the control of the Rajavi leadership — is a nightmare, because they have destroyed the lives of their members and left them in misery, without a future and without families.