Lost in Limbo tells the story of a group of Iranian men who had—voluntarily or not—joined the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK).

Once a rebel group aimed at overthrowing the Iranian government, MEK quickly turned into a sect. Saddam Hussein granted them a base camp in Iraq, using them for his dirty work. But after his fall, they were trapped—unable to return to Iran, unwanted in Iraq, and branded as terrorists elsewhere.

Occasion

Photographer Eddy van Wessel began documenting former MEK members. My colleague Judit Neurink had written a book about them but couldn’t join Eddy to conduct interviews—so I stepped in.

Approach

Most former MEK members were being held in a house in Erbil. They had been deeply indoctrinated, forced to undergo weekly confessions of their sexual fantasies while in Camp Ashraf. After the American army freed them, they found themselves stateless and unwanted.

Eddy photographed the men, using Polaroids to give them something tangible—a proof of their new lives in an era before mobile phone cameras. They were deeply distrustful, even of each other, and faced suspicion from outsiders.

To build trust, I ensured privacy, often conducting interviews under a tree in the grass. I never revealed what others had shared, allowing them to open up in their own way. The book was eventually published by a local Kurdish book printer.

Quote

“He came to MKO almost by accident. In the summer of 1988, the organization launched its attack on Iran in a failed attempt to grab power and reached his village, just across the border. Ekhtiari didn’t dare to stay—after such attacks, the Iranian government would arrest young men suspected of helping MKO. He had no passport. ‘My only option was to join MKO, go to Iraq, and leave from there.’”

Publication Details

???? Published by: Aras Publishers
???? Date: 2009
???? Project Type: Photobook