USCCAR Deplores Iraqi Forces' Assault on Ashraf Residents, Calls for US and UN Immediate Intervention

USCCAR Deplores Iraqi Forces' Assault on Ashraf Residents, Calls for US and UN Immediate Intervention

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, August 26, 2010

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

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The US Committee for Camp Ashraf Residents (USCCAR) deplores the August 24, 2010, assault on and severe beating of two residents of Camp Ashraf by the Iraqi forces. It urges the United States and the United Nations to intervene immediately to halt the blatant violation of Iraq's written assurances on humane treatment of Ashraf residents.

USSCAR also calls on the United Nations Secretary General, the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to also intervene to lift all restrictions placed on Camp Ashraf.

Camp Ashraf is home to 3,400 members and sympathizers of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). In July 2009, the Iraqi forces launched a deadly attack on defenseless and unarmed residents of the Camp, murdering 11 and wounding more than 500.

On August 24, 2010, Iraqi forces used armored vehicles to block one of the Camp's main streets and obstructed the residents' free movement. The following day, two Iraqi Intelligence officers in an aggressive and hostile act dragged two residents of Ashraf, Rahman Mohammadian and Hossein Kaghazian, from their vehicle at gun point and beat them up severely. They threatened to arrest and expel the residents.

USCCAR also voices grave concern over the Iraqi forces denying access to specialized doctors by patients in Ashraf who are suffering from terminal illnesses. Four patients are in critical condition, including one suffering from cancer of the kidney.

There are also ominous indications that Iraqi authorities are setting the stage for another attack on Camp Ashraf. In early July, the Iranian state media announced that Iraq has issued arrest warrants for 39 residents of Camp Ashraf.

These developments have exacerbated concerns about the fate of the residents of Ashraf since the departure of the US forces from Forward Operating Base (FOB) Grizzly and the UNAMI monitoring team from Camp Ashraf.

USCCAR urges President Obama, 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.”

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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