Ways to Survive

From the beginning of secret life our connections with outside of MKO became so limited. Even with our families we had only phone calls. For phone calls we had only to use public phones and finish our dialogues in less than 3 minutes in order not to be tracked. Right in these phone calls I found out SAVAK had referred to my father’s and father-in-law’s houses several times and had asked about me. They even had attacked my father –in-law’s house once and detained his family and him for some hours. They had tried to force my wife’s parents to confess where we had been hidden but nothing was achieved by them.

In some necessary cases, and sometimes for exercising, we would make appointments with MKO members at the crossroads or streets. In these appointments we would exchange the news, announcements, pamphlets, books and… We would also discuss or speak.

When we wanted to go to an appointment, we would not use the main streets or at most would only cross them. We would use side streets because it was possible to be tracked and identified by ACC agents.

In 1974 ACC would pay 250.000Rials for arresting or killing each guerilla. This prize was so enthusiastic for ACC agents to arrest or kill anti-regime fighters or guerillas. We had also predicted necessary attempt to encounter their news security steps. We knew they (i.e., agents) were afraid of going into far or unknown alleys or side streets because these places were not safe for them. They might be entrapped. So, we would arrange our necessary appointments in farthest oldest alleys and side streets of Tehran and mostly we were armed.

In some cases, we would only walk in one path at the same time and meet each other without stopping anywhere.

Every day we had to draw a sign on a wall or something to prove that we are “safe”. They would come from other teams and ranks of MKO to check it. This sign would show that everything was ok. If they would not see that, it was a sign of danger. So, the higher ranks had to cut all their contacts with us and clean and change their own place.