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In this Issue:
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Iraqi party calls on government to end siege on Ashraf,
NCRI Website,
July 11,
2009
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In letter to US ambassador, Iraqi
Kurdish committee asks for protection of Camp Ashraf, NCRI
Website,
July 15,
2009
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Camp Ashraf siege triggering concern among
international and Iraqi organizations,
NCRI Website,
July 13, 2009
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Iranian exiles hold protests calling on Iraqi
government to end Camp Ashraf siege,
NCRI Website,
July 15, 200
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Iran: Hundreds of detainees at risk of
torture and other ill-treatment,
Amnesty International, July 13,
2009
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Mullahs’ preposterous and threadbare claims,
Global Politician, July 14,
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 party calls on
government to end siege on Ashraf
NCRI Website
July 11, 2009
Iraqi party calls on government to end siege on AshrafNCRI - Iraq’s National
Dialogue Front, led by Dr. Saleh Mutlak, has released a statement against the
ongoing siege and restrictions on Ashraf City, where close to 3,400 members of
the main Iranian opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran
(PMOI/MEK), reside. In the statement, the National Dialogue Front says, “The
siege on Ashraf is against international law and is part of the suppression of
the Iranian people.”...
With regards to Ashraf City, the National Dialogue Front added, “What worries
every honorable Iraqi are the constant calls by Tehran’s rulers to suppress and
impose restrictions on the opposition residing in Ashraf. They have put pressure
on the Iraqi government to suppress them, simultaneous with the crackdown on a
wide range of disenchanted social sectors in Iran, who seek the right for
peaceful protest.”
The Iraqi political party also referred to the recent measures against Ashraf,
saying, “Since the beginning of the month, a new round of restrictions has been
imposed and the siege on Ashraf residents, which started 5 months ago, has been
heightened. In recent days, forces from the army and the police have prevented
the entry of 10 food trucks to Ashraf, which contain basic food products like
flour, sugar, and also items like fuel and equipment for water and electricity
systems. This is a violation of the most basic human rights principles and is
contrary to Islamic and Iraqi values.”...
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In letter to US ambassador, Iraqi Kurdish committee asks
for protection of Camp Ashraf
NCRI Website
July 15, 2009
The Committee of Friendship between Iraqi Kurds and the Iranian PeopleNCRI - An
Iraqi Kurdish committee has written to the US ambassador in Iraq calling for the
lifting of restrictions against Camp Ashraf, where 3,400 members of the main
Iranian opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK),
reside.
The Committee of Friendship Between Iraqi Kurds and the Iranian people reminded
the US ambassador, Christopher Hill, that its members, including university
presidents, prominent professors and doctors in the Kurdish region, want a siege
placed on Ashraf to be lifted immediately.
The committee also called on the Iraqi government to comply with a European
Parliament resolution on Ashraf, passed on April 24 this year. They asked the
government to remain faithful to the assurances it provided to the US in
relation to the humane treatment of Ashraf residents, while warning governments
in Iraq and the US about the consequences of the occurrence of a human
catastrophe in Ashraf City.
The Kurdish academics and doctors also told Ambassador Hill that in view of the
lack of sufficient guarantees provided by the Iraqi forces that currently
control Camp Ashraf, the protection of Ashraf must be transferred to the US
under the monitoring of the UN and international human rights organizations...
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Camp Ashraf siege triggering concern among international and Iraqi organizations
NCRI Website
July 13, 2009
NCRI - On Sunday, al-Babelyieh TV reported that “The siege on Ashraf residents
has entered its fifth week, sparking worry among international and Iraqi
organizations.” Ashraf City, north of Baghdad, Iraq, is home to about 3,400
members of the main Iranian opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of
Iran (PMOI/MEK). The city has been placed under intense and inhuman restrictions
at the behest of the Iranian regime.
The al-Babelyieh report added, “The refusal to allow entry of food and medical
supplies into the city has brought its residents on the brink of hunger while
serious illnesses threaten their health.”...
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Iranian exiles hold protests calling on Iraqi government
to end Camp Ashraf siege
NCRI Website
July 15, 2009
NCRI - Iranian exiles in Britain, Switzerland, and Canada staged protests on
Monday to denounce the intensification of a siege on Ashraf City, where nearly
3,400 members of the main opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of
Iran (PMOI/MEK), are located. They demanded assurances for the residents’
protection and legal and humanitarian rights in accordance with international
conventions.
In Britain, relatives of Ashraf residents and other Iranians continued with
their 119th day of protests in front of the Iraqi embassy in London. They blamed
the stepped up siege against Ashraf on orders coming from the Iranian regime’s
Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who in February officially asked the Iraqi
President to close down Ashraf...
Supporters of the Iranian Resistance also protested in Geneva, Switzerland, and
demanded action by the United Nations, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees,
and the International Committee of the Red Cross for the guaranteeing of Ashraf
residents’ rights and protection...
Across the Atlantic in Ottawa, Canada, Iranian exiles staged a gathering in
front of the Iraqi embassy and chanted slogans in support of Ashraf. They called
on the Iraqi government to respect the Geneva Conventions and lift restrictions
on the city. Protestors chanted, “Ashraf you are our hope, and a thorn in the
mullahs’ eyes.”...
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Iran: Hundreds of detainees at risk of torture and
other ill-treatment
Amnesty International
July 13, 2009
Following the mass arrests of demonstrators and opposition activists in Iran
over recent weeks in connection with the disputed presidential election, Amnesty
International has compiled a list of the names or identities of 368 people
arrested since 12 June. Some of those detained have since been released, but may
face prosecution in the future. The organization has also obtained photographs
of lists of cases under judicial review which indicate the scale of arrests, in
Tehran, in recent weeks.
While it is not possible to individually confirm each name received, Amnesty
International is publishing them to draw attention to the suffering of thousands
of families in Iran, whose family members may have been arrested arbitrarily or
who ignore the whereabouts of arrested family members who have virtually been
subjected to enforced disappearances. The Iranian authorities have a
responsibility to immediately disclose the identity of anyone in their custody
and to inform their families of their whereabouts. Amnesty International is
concerned that many of those still detained are at risk of torture and other
ill-treatment, possibly to extract ‘forced confessions’ which could be used
against them in courts...
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Mullahs’ preposterous and threadbare claims
Global Politician
July 14, 2009
By Shahriar Kia
Claims aim to justify suppression in Iran, level
added pressure on PMOI members in Camp Ashraf
As the suppressive forces of the mullahs’ regime continue to murder people on
the streets of Tehran, Saturday evening, the state-run news agency carried a
false claim by the notorious Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) that
several members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) “who had
received training in Camp Ashraf in Iraq and had entered the country in order to
carry out terrorist acts” had been arrested. This totally bogus claim was meant
to justify the suppression and killings in Iran and put added pressure on the
PMOI members residing in Camp Ashraf in Iraq. The state television, as always,
paraded unidentified individuals confessing to such actions.
The Fars news agency, affiliated to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC),
on Sunday falsely claimed: “During the disturbances last night in Tehran, a
number of agents of the Monafeqin terrorist grouplet carrying an assortment of
weapons were arrested. This group randomly fired on gatherings in various
streets and on the State Security Forces. ... A mother and daughter who were
relatives of an executed member of the Monafeqin were present. This terrorist
group had in their possession MP5 firearms, handgun, grenades and Molotov
cocktails”
The regime ridiculously speaks of a mother and daughter of a martyr of the PMOI
when it is common knowledge that the regime has executed 120,000 political
prisoners, some 90 percent of whom were members or supporters of the PMOI, and
millions of Iranians are among their relatives or friends.
Following the remarks by the mullahs’ Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Friday,
which linked the nationwide uprising by millions of Iranians to a plot by
Western governments and the “global arrogance”, or US, the regime’s state-run
press have continued to make such claims, and the US president has since called
them as a stale tactic and ineffectual...
Defeated candidate and former IRGC commander, Brig. Gen. Mohsen Rezai, revealed
during another televised debate that the regime had spent billions of dollars to
have the PMOI blacklisted by the European Union and United Kingdom...
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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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