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In this Issue:
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Camp Ashraf: Workers, food, & maintenance equipment
prevented from entering Camp Ashraf,
NCRI Press Release,
July 7,
2009
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Gathering of 90 thousand Iranians
in solidarity with the Iranian people's uprising and in Support of Ashraf
Residents, NCRI Press Release,
June 20,
2009
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Ashraf is a symbol of hope for a better
future - Congressman Bob Filner,
NCRI Website,
July 3, 2009
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Tehran's worst nightmare,
The National Post, June 30,
2009
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Arrested, beaten and raped: an Iran
protester's tale,
Guardian, July 1,
2009
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Iran: doctors denounce terror in hospitals,
French daily Le Figaro, July 6,
2009
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DC March & Concert for Iran Freedom and
Democratic Change
July 11, 2009, 11:00 a.m.
Assembly for March at 1st
& Penn. Ave., NW
Followed by Rally &
Concert at Lafayette Park Across from the White House
The US
Committee for Camp Ashraf Residents will join other supporters of freedom
and democracy in Iran for a march from Capitol Hill to the White House in
solidarity with the pro-democracy nationwide uprising in Iran. The rally will
denounce the ongoing barbaric crackdown of the uprising and will demand
immediate U.N. action to stop the bloodshed. Since June 20, 2009, at least 200
protesters have been killed by government security forces. Thousands more have
been arrested and are subjected to savage torture in Tehran and other cities.
The march is organized by the Human Rights and Democracy International, Pedia;
and nationwide network of Iranian-American communities and NGOs. For more
information, please visit: http://www.hrdip.com/
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Camp Ashraf: Workers, food,
& maintenance equipment prevented from entering Camp Ashraf
NCRI Press Release
Tuesday, 07 July 2009
NCRI - The cruel and inhumane siege of Camp Ashraf has entered its fifth month.
Even as constant sandstorms are having much negative effect, workers, food and
maintenance equipment for water and electricity systems are still being
prevented from entering. Over the past week, from July 1-7, Iraqi army and
police forces prevented 10 trucks carrying food, consisting of flour, sugar,
vegetables and fruit, and fuel as well as vehicles carrying essential items for
Ashraf’s water and electricity systems from entering...
The intense heat of the Iraqi summer, perpetual sand-storms and the restrictions
on entry of appliances and food are putting additional pressure on the residents
of Ashraf. Water is now being rationed. It is anticipated that the water pump
may stop working altogether...
The Iranian Resistance calls on the US President, the UN Secretary General, the
Security Council and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to intervene
immediately to end the siege of Ashraf and compel the Iraqi government to comply
with international law and the April 24 European Parliament resolution on the
humanitarian situation of Camp Ashraf residents. The mullahs’ brutal religious
dictatorship should not be allowed to continue with its crimes against the
Iranian people and the opposition inside and outside the country...
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Gathering of 90 thousand Iranians in solidarity with the
Iranian people's uprising and in Support of Ashraf Residents
NCRI Press Release
June 20, 2009
NCRI - Ninety thousand Iranians gathered at the Villepinte Convention Center,
north of Paris, in the largest gathering of exiled Iranians in a sign of
solidarity with the nationwide uprising of the Iranian people and in support of
Ashraf residents, members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran
(PMOI/MEK)...
The keynote speaker, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian
Resistance, hailed the nationwide uprising of the Iranian people and paid homage
to the martyrs, those wounded and detained. She said that this uprising was the
real choice and vote of the Iranian people and not the illegitimate and rigged
election of the mullahs' regime. The echoes of "death to the dictator" and
"Khamenei shame on you, let go of absolute rule" during this uprising reached
every corner of the world. This uprising represents the beginning of the end for
the religious dictatorship...
Addressing those who had not yet acknowledged the legal status of the residents
of Ashraf and had continued to besiege them, Mrs. Rajavi said: Do not give
priority to the interests of the faltering regime in Iran over the interests of
Iraq.
She added, if the Iraqi Government lacks the capacity, the capability and the
independence to respect international law and to comply with the European
Parliament resolution adopted on April 24, then the United States, which
disarmed the residents of Ashraf rendering them defenseless and singed an
agreement with each of them, must assume responsibility for their protection
under the supervision of the United Nations...
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Ashraf is a symbol of hope
for a better future - Congressman Bob Filner
NCRI Website
July 03, 2009
The following are excerpts from a solidarity message by Congressman Bob
Filner, Senior member of Democratic Party and co –chairs of the Iran Human
Rights and Democracy Caucus:
Dear Friends and Supporters of Democracy in Iran, It is with great pleasure that
I address you tonight, as we stand in solidarity with the Iranian people in
their struggle for freedom and democracy. I would also like to take this
opportunity to send my warmest greetings to the brave men and women of Ashraf
City.
Ashraf is not only a symbol of resistance and opposition to the Iranian regime,
it is a symbol of hope for a better future, of dedication for an ideal, and
solidarity for a common goal.
Ashraf city is more than just a compound occupied by members of the Iranian
resistance. It is flame that represents the light and energy of this movement.
And today, by reiterating my support for this great city, I would like to remind
all those who would wish to put out this flame that Ashraf will stand firm, and
we will stand with them...
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Tehran's worst nightmare
The National Post
June 30, 2009
By Terry Glavin
Terry Glavin is an author, journalist and adjunct professor at the University
of British Columbia.
With their uprising now staggering under the weight of increasingly brutal and
bloody repression, Iran's brave democrats are facing a rapidly narrowing range
of choices. It's come down to either carrying on, somehow, with firm demands for
reform, or girding for revolution.
The decision is theirs alone, but one key thing Ottawa can do to help block the
narrowing of the protest movement's options is to lift the bogus "terrorist"
designation applied to the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK). This organization is
Tehran's worst nightmare.
Delisting the MEK would clear the way for the Paris based National Council of
the Resistance of Iran (NCRI), arguably the most dedicated and resourceful
Iranian opposition group in the world, to operate openly in Canada. The MEK is
the largest of the NCRI's 15 constituent organizations...
In reality, the MEK is a sort of refugee camp of about 3,000 former guerillas
and their families at Ashraf, in Iraq. They are now classified as "protected
persons" under Article 4 of the Geneva Convention. And the U. S. military
considers the MEK a co-operative and useful intelligence asset. The European
Union gave the NCRI and the MEK a clean bill of health in January of this
year...
Some say the NCRI has no credibility inside Iran because the MEK sided with
Saddam Hussein during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. But Toronto-based security
analyst Dan Rabkin, Iran editor for the private think-tank World Security
Network, says that claim is overblown.
Rabkin contends that the NCRI and its affiliates are clearly well-connected
inside Iran. The ruling ayatollahs routinely blame the MEK for fomenting dissent
in the country, and Iran's Revolutionary Guards are now blaming the group for
the country's pro-democracy convulsions. Tehran has even gone so far as to
portray the MEK as an ally of al-Qaeda.
"The regime is obsessed with this group," Rabkin says. "Clearly, there is real
dedication with these NCRI people, real discipline. They produce real results,
and they have real intelligence resources in Iran."
Last year, Rabkin visited the MEK's base in Ashraf, which is routinely depicted
as a spooky commune filled with wild-eyed revolutionary nutcases. "It's actually
an incredible place. It's beautiful," Rabkin explains. "These people do not pose
a threat to Western interests, that's for certain."...
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More
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Arrested, beaten and raped: an Iran protester's
tale
Guardian
July 1, 2009
By Esfandiar Poorgiv (Esfandiar Poorgiv is a pseudonym.)
Afshin, a shopkeeper from south-west Iran, alleges that one of his friends
was beaten and repeatedly raped after being arrested at an opposition rally
after last month's disputed election. He gave this account to Esfandiar Poorgiv,
a journalist and academic. It is published here as part of the Guardian's
project to trace those killed and detained during the unrest. The Guardian has
been unable to independently verify the account.
He came to my shop around 10.30am. You could tell straight away that he had just
been released. His face was bruised all over. His teeth were broken and he could
hardly open his eyes.
He was not even into politics. He was just an ordinary 18-year-old in the last
year of school. Before the election he came to me and asked how he should vote.
He looks up to me. His father is an Ahmadinejad supporter.
He had gone home directly after his release, but his father did not let him in.
He didn't mention he had been raped. At first, he didn't tell me either. It was
the doctor who first noticed it and told me.
When he came to my shop he collapsed in a chair. He said he had nowhere to go
and asked if he could stay with me. I called a friend of mine who is a doctor to
come home and see him. Then I brought him home.
His shoulder blades and arms were wounded. There were some slashes on the face.
No bone fractures, but he was bruised all over the body. I wanted to take some
photos but he did not let me. The doctor said only four of his teeth were
intact, the rest were broken. You could hardly understand what he said.
Then the doctor told me what had happened. He had suffered rupture of the rectum
and the doctor feared colonic bleeding. He suggested we take him to the hospital
immediately.
They registered him under a false name and with somebody else's insurance. The
nurses were crying. Two of them asked what sort of beast had beaten him up like
that. He was a broken man. He told us not to waste our money on him, and that he
would kill himself.
He was arrested in Shiraz on 15 June, the Monday after the election. Some sturdy
young men made a human shield around the demonstrators. He was among them. He
said he managed to hit some of the anti-riot police. But then they caught him
and beat him up....
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Iran: doctors denounce terror in hospitals
French daily Le Figaro
July 6, 2009
Excerpts from English translation of original article in French
They have seen too many. For fear of reprisals, they kept silent. But passing
through France for a few days, they want to break the wall of fear, at any
price. "In Tehran, we are the powerless witnesses of real crimes against
humanity," says one of two Iranian doctors, met this weekend in Paris, and who
prefers to remain anonymous for security reasons.
"Since the beginning of the anti-Ahmadinejad protests, he said, militiamen and
security agents in civilian clothing have established a policy of terror in the
hospitals. They are conducting a hunt without mercy against the injured. "It all
started on Saturday 13 June - the first day of protest against the election
results. They began to ask for a list of admitted wounded from the hospitals
that were located close to the events," says the doctor. Objective barely
veiled: "identify the protesters injured, and then take them to court, accusing
them of disturbing public order," he says.
Over 92 dead
According to several testimonies that circulate among the medical staff, Rasoul
Akram Hospital, not far from Tehran University, received 38 corps, including 28
wounded and 10 dead from the "Black Monday" (June 15). "We found that the
bullets had passed through the torsos diagonally, which means they were fired
from above - i.e. a roof," says the second doctor.
According to an official report, at least 17 people have been killed since the
beginning of the conflict. However, a list quietly made by the nursing staff
from different hospitals showed that to date more than 92 people died in Tehran
and its suburbs. A woman eight months pregnant is one of the victims. Shot and
killed, near the presidential palace, she was then transported to the hospital.
Other disturbing stories are beginning to emerge in broad daylight, as one of
the six corpses of young men found last week in Shahriar, on the outskirts of
the capital. "They all died from wounds in the neck. Their skulls had been
smashed and their brains had been opened, presumably to retrieve the bullet to
erase the trace of the crime," says the second doctor informed of this terrible
massacre by a trusted colleague.
To cover this kind of attack, the doctors have been asked to certify that the
persons whose bodies have been transferred to their hospitals died during
surgery. "In several hospitals - including Rasoul Akram and Imam Khomeini - we
have organized a sit-in protest. But state television said it was a strike for
better wages. That's terribly shocking," says the second doctor. One of his
friends, doctor on call for emergencies Erfan Hospital, has been "punished" for
having stood up to the militia. "After missing for thirty-six hours, he was
found half-conscious and disfigured on the sidewalk of the hospital," he says...
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Back Issues of Ashraf Monitor
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Back Issues of Ashraf Monitor
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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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