Hundreds of Ashraf Residents in Urgent Need of Medical Care

Hundreds of Ashraf Residents in Urgent Need of Medical Care;
U.S., UNAMI Must Intervene to End Inhumane Siege of Ashraf

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FEBRUARY 18, 2010

CONTACT: Majid Roshan
PHONE: (202) 640-1947
E-MAIL: info@usccar.org

Washington, DC - Seven months after the Iraqi forces’ deadly and unprovoked assault on the defenseless residents of Camp Ashraf, members of Iran’s main opposition People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the continued inhumane and unlawful siege of the camp has put the lives of hundreds of its residents in great peril.

The U.S. Committee for Camp Ashraf Residents (USCCAR), representing U.S. families and relatives of the residents, strongly condemns the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s inhumane crackdown on Ashraf residents which is clearly designed to placate the Iranian regime.

USCCAR calls on President Obama, Secretary Clinton, Ambassador Hill, the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), to intervene to ensure the immediate end to the siege of Ashraf.

An almost blanket ban on medical care and supplies is now one of the most critical problems at Ashraf. Many residents are suffering from incurable diseases and a large number of those wounded during the July raid suffer permanent injuries.

Iraqi forces, acting on orders from Committee for the Closure of Ashraf in the Prime Minister's Office, have prevented specialist doctors from visiting Ashraf. As a result many cases have turned malignant and can no longer be cured. A number of patients are losing their vision and several women are suffering from cancer.

Compounding the medical crisis is the prevention of fuel delivery to Ashraf in recent months. Food supplies are only allowed following lengthy inspections, resulting in the food turning rotten.

In recent days, in collusion with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), al-Maliki’s government has transported a number of MOIS agents under the guise of families of the residents to the gate of Ashraf to exert further pressure on them. Ashraf families, meanwhile, are barred from visiting the Camp.

Iraqi authorities have refused issuing visas to US and European lawyers of the residents. European parliamentarians, human rights and religious organizations and dignitaries are also barred. Moreover, the Iraqi government still intends to forcibly transfer the residents of Ashraf to an inhabitable detention center near the Saudi border.

The 3,400 residents of Ashraf are protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention. These restrictions violate international law as well as International Humanitarian Law and constitute crimes against humanity.

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About Humanitarian Crisis for Residents of Camp Ashraf

More than 3,400 members of Iran’s main opposition, the People’s Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK) and their families, among them nearly 1,000 Muslim women, reside in Camp Ashraf in Iraq. The PMOI was the source of ground breaking revelation in the United States in 2002 about Iran’s two until-then secret nuclear sites at Natanz and Arak.

On July 28-29, 2009, Iraqi forces ordered directly by Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki acting at the behest of Iran rulers, carried out a violent, unprovoked raid on Camp Ashraf, killing 11 residents, wounding 500, and abducting 36.

The brutal raid on Ashraf was a blatant violation of the solemn commitment Iraq had given to the United States that it would provide "humane treatment of the Camp Ashraf residents in accordance with Iraq’s Constitution, laws, and international obligations."

The assault took place while U.S. service members on the scene were observing the situation closely. Regrettably they took no action to prevent the premeditated violence despite direct appeals by Ashraf residents at the outset and during the attack.

International Humanitarian Law Obligates 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.“

United States had legal and moral obligations and responsibilities under international humanitarian law to protect these Iranian exiles.

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