Press Release
The British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom strongly condemns a vicious assault by Iraqi forces on Camp Ashraf, home to 3,400 members of the Iranian opposition.
The attack which took place in the early hours of 8 April 2011 left 33 residents killed, 7 of who are women, and over 300 wounded, over 170 of who have suffered gunshot wounds.
From information and video footage made available to the Committee it is abundantly clear that this was a murderous assault on unarmed civilians. The unprecedented use of force and the indiscriminate firing of live ammunition into crowds of residents are a further crime against humanity by Iraqi forces under the direct command of Nouri Al-Maliki. Al-Maliki must be brought before an international court for this massacre of refugees with ‘protected persons’ status under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
Under International Humanitarian Law, the actions of the Iraqi security forces are illegal, and any other UN state has authority to take action in stopping further loss of life. To its shame, the US government ignored repeated warnings by the residents of a humanitarian catastrophe in the days leading to the attack.
This Committee demands that:
1. The UN Security Council and United States condemn the Iraqi government’s crimes and take immediate measures to end the presence of Iraqi troops in the camp. Ashraf is a civilian zone.
2. The US urgently transfers the wounded to the nearby US military hospital for urgent treatment.
3. The European Union and Baroness Ashton stop all financial assistance to the Iraqi government until the rights of the Camp Ashraf residents are guaranteed.
4. The US and UN take control over the safety and security of the camp.
The British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom
9 April 2011
