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USCCAR
Welcomes Secretary Clinton Condemnation of Imminent Executions in Iran
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 13, 2010
CONTACT: Majid Roshan
PHONE: (202) 640-1947
E-MAIL: info@usccar.org
WASHINGTON - The US Committee for Camp Ashraf Residents welcomes the August 10,
2010 statement by Secretary of States Hillary Clinton in which she
expressed deep concern over the imminent execution of several political
prisoners in Iran; Jafar Kazemi, Mohammad Haj Aghaei and Javad Lari, the
impending execution of Ebrahim Hamidi, and the planned stoning of Sakineh
Mohammadi.
In addition to the three prisoners of conscience mentioned above, four other,
Messrs. Ali Saremi, Abdolreza Ghanbari, Ahmad and Mohsen Daneshpour Moghaddam
are also on death row. All seven are sympathizers of the main Iranian dissident
group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and a number of
them have relatives in Camp Ashraf, Iraq. Iran’s state-run media reported that
three other individuals were hanged in public last Wednesday.
There are also ominous indications that Iraqi authorities are setting the stage
for an attack on Camp Ashraf. Late June, the Iranian daily Javan, a mouthpiece
of the IRGC, emphasized that Tehran has the right to attack the Camp at the
appropriate moment. And on July 5, 2010, Iranian state media announced that Iraq
has issued arrest warrants for 39 residents of Camp Ashraf.
With the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan which coincides with Iraq’s
sweltering summer heat, the 3,400 residents of Camp Ashraf are faced with the
most difficult conditions during. The delivery of medicine, food, fuel, and
other necessary staples has been greatly hampered by the Iraqi authorities.
Worries have only grown since the departure of the US forces from Forward
Operating Base (FOB) Grizzly and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq
monitoring team (UNAMI).
USCCAR urges President Obama’s administration, as called for by the House
Resolution 704, co-sponsored by a bi-partisan majority, to “take all necessary
and appropriate steps to support the commitments of the United States under
international law and treaty obligations to ensure the physical security and
protection of Camp Ashraf residents against inhumane treatment and involuntary
deportation by Iraqi security forces.”
In light of the US Federal Court of Appeals’ July 16th ruling, it is time to end
the blacklisting of the PMOI. Such a decision would not only remove the unjust
stigma of terrorism from our loved ones and those facing the hangman’s noose in
Iran, but would also contribute substantially to efforts in securing safety and
well-being of Camp Ashraf residents in Iraq.
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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 |
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