USCCAR urges President Obama to Intervene Immediately and Stop Iraq's Displacement of Ashraf Residents

USCCAR urges Nobel Peace Prize Winner President Obama to Intervene Immediately and Stop Iraq's Displacement of Ashraf Residents

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DECEMBER 10, 2009

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

Washington, DC - In a move, which according to Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, “could lead to bloodshed,” the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, announced plans for the “transfer of Camp Ashraf residents to Nuqrat al-Salman” south of Iraq as a “step towards expelling them (from Iraq).”

The U.S. Committee for Camp Ashraf Residents (USCCAR) strongly condemns this unlawful decision which blatantly violates international humanitarian law and runs counter to the Iraqi Government’s written assurances to the United States about upholding the human rights of Ashraf residents.

USCCAR calls on President Obama, who received the Nobel Peace Prize earlier today in Oslso, to fulfill the administration's responsibilities in the framework of official agreements it has signed with the people of Ashraf and Article 45 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The Committee urges the President to undertake immediate steps to avert another humanitarian catastrophe.

In a Congressional hearing on October 28, Ambassador Feltman warned, “We’re concerned about Iraqi desire to move Camp Ashraf to someplace else inside Iraq… they would try to forcibly move them to a different location in Iraq, and that could lead to bloodshed.”

Noting that Ashraf residents are recognized as “Protected Persons” under the Fourth Geneva Convention, a Spanish court last month said it has the authority to and will probe the Iraqi forces’ deadly July attack against Ashraf residents. Camp Ashraf is home to 3,400 members of Iran’s main opposition People’s Mojahedin (PMOI/MEK) and their families.

Agence France Presse quoted the Iraqi Prime Minister as saying that his government will move the Ashraf residents to Nuqrat al-Salman, 220 miles south of Baghdad in the desert, where Iraq’s former regime used to send its opponents. Reuters news agency reported yesterday that Mr. al-Maliki intends to “uproot” the PMOI in order to nurture its relationship with Tehran.

There is hardly any doubt that the Tehran regime, fighting for survival in the face of nationwide uprisings in Iran, has pressured the Iraqi Government to create another bloodshed in Ashraf and rid Tehran of its main and most organized democratic opposition.

USCCAR also urges the United Nations Secretary General High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Special Representative for Iraq to intervene and thwart the forcible displacement of Ashraf residents.

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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