17 years after the then New York Times reporter Elizabeth Rubin’s visit to Camp Ashraf, the Mujahedin-e Khalq’s former headquarters in Iraq, the group allowed a correspondent from this newspaper inside its base to correct its image.
According to Habilian, after several access requests ignored by the MeK, the terrorist group admitted NY Times international correspondent Patrick Kingsley to correct the impression left by previous journalistic encounters.
The Times’ previous encounter with the MeK was the Elizabeth Rubin’s 2003 visit from the group’s former base in Iraq ended badly after her subjects spoke from a rehearsed script, and she was barred from talking to people in private.
“I asked her a question to slow her down, but she simply pushed the pause button in her mind, released it when my question ended, and the tape rolled on.” Wrote Elizabeth Rubin in her 2003 report.