NCRI – Hundreds of Iraq’s most influential personalities and tribal leaders have united to demand that long-suffering Camp Liberty residents are returned to Ashraf and the UN’s envoy Martin Kobler is sacked.
The 259 political, social, cultural and religious figures, along with leaders of tribes, NGOs, journalists and lawyers, have written to the UN to condemn the deadly February 9 attack on Liberty, according to a statement from the National Justice Center for Iraq.
They called for the residents to be sent home to Ashraf where there is greater security, more space and stronger buildings built at their own expense.
And they reminded the UN that after 15 months, it had now been proved that Liberty is not a temporary or secure place that meets humanitarian and international standards, but is instead a prison for the residents.
Dr Mohammad al-Sheikhli, President of the National Justice Center for Iraq, said in the statement: “These personalities and national groups emphasized that the main issue of these refugees is the lack of security in Liberty.”
He said their group had three key demands:
1. To provide security for residents of Liberty who must be urgently be returned to Ashraf and their relocation to other countries finalized from there.
2. The UNHCR must take full responsibility for the residents who are refugees, persons of concern and protected persons based on international laws and conventions.
3. The UN Secretary General must urgently remove its representative in Iraq, Martin Kobler, from over-seeing Ashraf, because he has had a negative and partial role as the lawyer of Maleki’s Government and has forced the residents into homelessness and facilitated a situation of crimes against humanity in Liberty.
The personalities and parties who signed the letter included 33 politicians and tribal leaders, 38 political parties, NGOs and religious minorities, 47 journalists and 141 cultural personalities, lawyers and jurists.
