USCCAR Condemns Iraqi Forces' Attack on Camp Ashraf

USCCAR Condemns Iraqi Forces' Attack on Camp Ashraf, Demands UN Protection and US Guarantee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APRIL 16, 2010

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

WASHINGTON – Around midnight Thursday, the Iraqi forces attacked residents of Camp Ashraf, home to 3,400 members of Iran's main opposition, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Threatening to occupy a number of buildings by force, they used electric batons, daggers and iron bars in beating up the residents, wounding five. They also tried to abduct a female resident but were thwarted when she resisted.

The US Committee for Camp Ashraf Residents (USCCAR) deplores this barbaric attack, clearly carried out at the behest of the Tehran regime and with the approval of the Iraqi Prime Minister.

The residents of Camp Ashraf were recognized as “Protected Persons” by the United States in 2004. Since the US transfer of Ashraf’s protection to the Iraqi government in 2009, the human rights of Ashraf residents have been systematically breached in violation of international law and Iraq’s written assurances to the United States.

Still dumbfounded by the strategic defeat during Iraq’s recent parliamentary elections, Tehran and its Iraqi surrogates have been bent on destroying Ashraf. USCCAR demands that the United Nations must assume the protection of Ashraf residents before another humanitarian tragedy occurs. The Committee also urges President Obama to guarantee the protection of Ashraf residents consistent with the US government's signed agreement to this effect with Ashraf residents in 2004.

Following the last July deadly assault by the Iraqi forces against Camp Ashraf, a bi-partisan majority in the U.S. House of Representatives co-sponsored a resolution which "deplores the ongoing violence by Iraqi security forces against the residents of Camp Ashraf; calls upon the Iraqi Government to live up to its commitment to the United States to ensure the continued well-being of those living in Camp Ashraf; and calls upon the President to take all necessary and appropriate steps to support the commitments of the United States" to ensure protection of Camp Ashraf residents.

In a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee last February, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reiterated, “We do hold the Iraqi government responsible for how the members of the MEK are treated, and we expect the Iraqi government to honor its written assurances that it will treat the MEK members humanely.” It is time for the US to keep to its words.

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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