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In this Issue:
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Iraqi police intensifies Camp Ashraf siege, threats
resident with arrest and death,
NCRI Press Release,
June 5,
2009
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UK lawmakers urge U.S. to protect
Iranian dissidents in Iraq,
Bloomberg News,
May 29, 2009
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Iraqi
MPs call for UN intervention to secure rights of Camp Ashraf residents,
NCRI Website,
June 2, 2009
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Iraqi National Dialogue Council condemns
sudden police intrusion at Ashraf City ,
NCRI Website, June 3,
2009
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Iraqi tribal leaders and NGOs condemn police
intrusion at Ashraf City,
NCRI Website, June 4,
2009
-
Canadian Council for Refugees calls for
international monitor of Camp Ashraf in Iraq,
NCRI Website, June 2,
2009
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"Protected persons are entitled, in all circumstances, to respect for their
persons, their honour, their family rights, their religious convictions and
practices, and their manners and customs.”
Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention
“In no circumstances shall a protected person be transferred to a country where
he or she may have reason to fear persecution for his or her political opinions
or religious beliefs.”
Article 45 of the Fourth Geneva Convention
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Iraqi police intensifies
Camp Ashraf siege, threats resident with arrest and death
NCRI Press Release
Friday, June 5, 2009
NCRI - Since 5:30 am (local time - Iraq) on Friday, June 5, rapid deployment
forces of the Iraqi police at the entrance of Ashraf, blocked the road and
entrance to Ashraf. They blocked entry of goods and people to the Camp and
intensified the suppressive siege of Ashraf. Eight members of the People's
Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) who were at the entry point of the
Camp were threatened by arrest and death.
At 9:30 am a fully equipped anti-riot unit entered the scene and some units of
Special Operations Brigade of the Ministry of Interior moved towards Ashraf
around noon. Ashraf residents have gathered behind the entrance gates since 6:00
am. The weather in the Camp was around 50 degrees Celsius at 11:00 am. The
entrance to Ashraf as of 13:00 remains to be closed with police vehicles
equipped with heavy machine guns.
"International Committee of Jurists in Defense of Ashraf", and "International
Committee in Search of Justice" announced that the US Forces should assume the
responsibility of protection of Ashraf residents and the Government of Iraq
should declare its compliance with the European Parliament resolution of April
24 on the "Humanitarian Situation of Ashraf Residents." Siege of Ashraf is an
illegal act. It is in violation of written guarantees given by the Iraqi
Government to the U.S. on the humanitarian treatment of Ashraf residents and its
adherence to international treaties and conventions. The White House announced
Iraqi Government’s commitments last December...
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U.K. lawmakers urge U.S. to protect Iranian dissidents
in Iraq
Bloomberg News
May 29, 2009
May 29 (Bloomberg) - British lawmakers urged the U.S. to take control of a camp
in Iraq filled with Iranian opponents of the government in Tehran after Iraqi
police raided the site.
Forty-four members of the all-party Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom
said they wrote to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asking for U.S. forces,
under United Nations monitoring, to take over security at Camp Ashraf. The
British lawmakers also condemned Iraq for ignoring a European Union resolution
in support of the Iranian dissidents, some of whom have been in the camp since
they fled Iran in 1986.
“Iraq has refused to acknowledge the rights of Ashraf residents,” the group
said. “U.S. intervention is therefore imperative both to prevent the entry of
Iraqi police forces inside Ashraf and to stop this crisis in its tracks.”
The U.K. lawmakers said the Iraqi actions are being taken at the behest of Iran,
and that the raid today is linked to Iran’s June 12 election, according to the
statement, which was e-mailed from the office of lawmaker Robin Corbett.
“To have Mahmoud Ahmadinejad re-appointed to the presidency, Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei is increasing pressure on the opposition to the theocratic regime,” the
group said...
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Iraqi MPs call for UN
intervention to secure rights of Camp Ashraf residents
NCRI Website
June 2, 2009
NCRI –In a letter to the United Nations Secretary General on behalf of 35 Iraqi
parliamentarians from various political groups, Dr. Saleh al-Mutlaq, Chairman of
the Iraqi National Dialogue Front called for his intervention and implementation
of international guarantees to secure the rights of Ashraf residents...
Dr. al-Mutlaq, the leader of the Iraqi National Dialogue Front at the Iraqi
Parliament, wrote to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, saying: “Many of my
colleagues and I at the Iraqi parliament have made every effort to ensure that
the rights of Ashraf residents are recognized, that international law and the
European Parliament resolution, which was adopted on 24 April 2009 concerning
the people of Ashraf, will be implemented, and that the siege imposed on them is
lifted.
“However, we were shocked on Thursday, May 28, when a large number of Iraqi
police forces entered Ashraf to further reinforce its blockade and harass the
residents of an essentially disarmed camp... 99.7% of residents of Ashraf have
decided to stay in Iraq as opposed to leaving the country voluntarily, according
to figures obtained from individual private interviews conducted by the Iraqi
Human Rights Ministry in a free and open environment. Therefore, according to
various international humanitarian laws and the principle of non-refoulement,
they should not be subjected to any harassment.”...
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Iraqi National Dialogue Council condemns sudden police
intrusion at Ashraf City
NCRI Website
June 3, 2009
NCRI - The Iraqi National Dialogue Council, led by Sheikh Khalaf al-Alyan,
released a statement on June 2, in which it strongly condemned the police
intrusion and siege on Ashraf City, Iraq, home to some 3,500 members of the main
Iranian opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Last
week the Iraqi police suddenly entered Ashraf City with no justification
prompting international protest.
The council also urged ensuring of the rights of Ashraf residents in accordance
with a European Parliament resolution to the same effect passed on April 24,
2009.
The Iraqi National Dialogue Council’s statement reads as follows:
We have seen that in a total disregard to previous efforts for settling the
issues in a friendly manner and reach agreements with the Ashraf City’s
residents to guarantee their rights and comply with international laws and
customs, the Iraqi police has intensified its blockade of Ashraf on Thursday,
May 28, 2009.
This happens despite calls by the Iraqi National Dialogue Council and some
national forces [in Iraq] demanding a fair treatment of Ashraf residents, who
are the Iraqi people’s guests and more importantly are designated protected
persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention. It also occurs despite the fact that
the PMOI is an opposition organization, which has been removed from the
terrorist list. The European Parliament on April 24 urged the Iraqi government
to lift the blockade of Camp Ashraf and treat its residents humanely...
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Iraqi tribal leaders and NGOs condemn police
intrusion at Ashraf City
NCRI Website
June 4, 2009
NCRI- Various Iraqi associations and tribal leaders have condemned the
tightening of a siege by Iraqi police forces on Ashraf City, Iraq, where some
3,500 members of the main Iranian opposition, People’s Mojahedin Organization of
Iran (PMOI/MEK), reside. They urged compliance with a European Parliament
resolution calling for respect for the legal rights of Ashraf residents.
The parties involved include Sheikh Talal Abdoljabbar Aydan, the leader of the
al-Jahishi tribe in Iraq’s Diyala province, the Central Council of Sheikhs in
Baghdad, the Society of Shiite Tribal Leaders in Iraq, the Intellectual Society
of Diyala, the Freedom-loving Youth Association of the City of Khales, the Gulf
Humanitarian Aid in Neynawa province, and the charity organization of New Era.
In letters to the American ambassador in Iraq, the US forces commander in the
country, and other responsible authorities, the Iraqi associations and tribal
sheikhs wrote: We were shocked after hearing about the sudden intrusion of Iraqi
police forces at Camp Ashraf. This suppressive act occurs despite the fact that
Ashraf residents have fully cooperated with the Iraqi government. During this
time, Iraqi government representatives have interviewed every single Ashraf
resident and have subjected every inch of the camp to inspections, in the course
of which even a single bullet was not found...
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Canadian Council for Refugees calls for
international monitor of Camp Ashraf in Iraq
NCRI Website
June 2, 2009
NCRI – The Canadian Council for Refugees, the umbrella organization on rights
and protection of refugees worldwide, in a resolution called on the “Government
of Canada to oppose forcible relocation or any other mistreatment of the
residents of Camp Ashraf in violation of international standards.”
“The protection and humane treatment of the residents of Camp Ashraf is a matter
of international concern which justifies monitoring by the Multinational Forces
while they remain in Iraq and afterwards by the international community once the
Multinational Forces leave,” the resolution reiterates...
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About Humanitarian Crisis for
Iranian Dissidents and their Families In Camp Ashraf
Nearly 3,500 members of Iran’s
main opposition, the People’s Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK), residing in Camp Ashraf in
Iraq, are faced with a humanitarian crisis.
Tehran has put the Iraqi
government under tremendous pressure to take over the protection of Camp Ashraf
from the US-led Multinational Force-Iraq. Under current circumstance in
Iraq, such action would be in violation of the 4th Geneva Convention and
International Humanitarian Law. Since 2004, Ashraf residents have been formally
recognized as “Protected Persons“ under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Ashraf Residents are expatriates
holding dual nationality or refugee status of various Western countries. Their
families and relatives are greatly worried for their loved ones in Ashraf.
International Humanitarian Law Obligate U.S. to Provide Continued Protection for
Camp Ashraf Residents in Iraq
On July 2, 2004, the United States formally
recognized members of the PMOI in Camp Ashraf as “protected persons” under the
Fourth Geneva Convention.
Both the U.S. and Iraq are parties to all four
1949 Geneva Conventions.
Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention specifies that:
“Protected persons are entitled, in all circumstances, to respect for their
persons, their honour, their family rights, their religious convictions and
practices, and their manners and customs […]”.
Article 45 of the Fourth Geneva Convention specifies that:
“In no circumstances shall a protected person
be transferred to a country where he or she may have reason to fear persecution
for his or her political opinions or religious beliefs.“
Under the present circumstances in Iraq, the U.S.
is the only party qualified and capable of ensuring Camp Ashraf residents’
safety and security under the Fourth Geneva Convention. The U.S. forces must
continue to protect Ashraf residents as long as US forces are in Iraq.
About
the U.S. Committee for Camp Ashraf Residents:
The U.S. Committee for Camp Ashraf
Residents (USCCAR) was established in December of 2003 by families and relatives
of residents of Camp Ashraf. The purpose of the Committee is to ensure the
safety and security of those Iranians and others living in Camp Ashraf. The
Committee will defend the proposition that the protections of the Fourth Geneva
Convention, as well as of other treaties and customary international law, must
be applied to the Iranians in Iraq. For more information please visit:
www.usccar.org
About
Ashraf Monitor
Ashraf Monitor newsletter is a
compilation of news and commentaries about the developing humanitarian
crisis for nearly 3,500 members of Iran's main opposition, the People's
Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Camp Ashraf, Iraq. Ashraf Monitor is
compiled and distributed by the US Committee for Camp Ashraf Residents (USCCAR).
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