In a joint letter to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a group of 21 members of Iraq’s Council of Representative condemned the increasing facilitation for groups of Iranian regime Ministry of Intelligence agents under the bogus pretext of “Liberty residents’ relatives” going to the camp, and harassing and psychologically torturing the members of the main Iranian opposition movement, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
“Allowing the Iranian regime to transfer such intelligence elements to Liberty, especially by passing them through numerous checkpoints in such a sensitive military area and overtly threatening the residents, all took place at a time when security forces and the camp management team are preventing international delegations and the highest Iraqi officials, MPs, journalists and even the lawyers of these refugees any access to Liberty, and effectively making living conditions for the refugees much more difficult than any prison,” the MPs said.
The letter which also signed by Dr. Dhafer al-Ani, member of Foreign Affairs commission of the Iraqi Parliament and Spokesman of the Muttahedoon Parliamentary Faction stated: “We also believe a visit to Liberty by a delegation consisting of Iraqi MPs and representatives of various credible international human rights organizations that have always defended the rights of Liberty refugees under the framework of international conventions, to obtain a true analysis of the camp’s conditions and resolve its needs is the most urgent and practical measures of all. We would like to assure you of our full cooperation in this regard.
Below is the full text of the letter:
His Excellency António Guterres
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Baghdad – 1 December 2015
Following the October 29th heavy rocket barrage against the defenseless refugees of Camp Liberty located adjacent to Baghdad International Airport that left 24 residents killed, nearly 100 others injured and a large portion of the camp’s facilities and infrastructures destroyed, it was expected from the Iraqi government, UNHCR and UNAMI to take urgent effective measures after this catastrophe in order to guarantee the residents’ safety and security in the face of probable similar incidents in the future, and provide aid to the refugees in curing the injured and burying the dead. It was also expected a serious effort to be launched to clean up the debris and rebuild the camp.
The remarks of our country’s honorable representative in the UN Security Council were very heartwarming in this regard when he said: “we are committed to provided protection to the residents of Camp Hurriya. We are implementing strict security measures for their protection. We are conducting investigations into the latest missile attack on the camp.”
But unfortunately instead of any investigation and effort to identify the perpetrators of this criminal measure and placing them in the hands of justice, and providing the necessary facilitation for these defenseless refugees, we have in fact witnessed increasing facilitation for groups of Iranian regime Ministry of Intelligence agents under the bogus pretext of “Liberty residents’ relatives” going to the camp, and harassing and psychologically torturing the residents.
Allowing the Iranian regime to transfer such intelligence elements to Liberty, especially by passing them through numerous checkpoints in such a sensitive military area and overtly threatening the residents, all took place at a time when security forces and the camp management team are preventing international delegations and the highest Iraqi officials, MPs, journalists and even the lawyers of these refugees any access to Liberty, and effectively making living conditions for the refugees much more difficult than any prison. In fact, according to credible published evidence the embassies of Iraq in various European countries and the United States have for six years now refused – without any legitimacy – to issue visas for the Liberty residents’ true families.
The Muttahedoon Parliamentary Faction also condemns the illegal presence of Iranian intelligence elements in the Iraqi Parliament and efforts to take advantage of the Parliament’s prestige and deceive public opinion to justify their measures against refugees in Liberty. This Faction also emphasizes on its support for Liberty residents’ legal rights as “protected persons” under the 4th Geneva Convention.
We believe that considering today’s circumstances that the current crisis engulfing Liberty following the October 29th heavy rocket attack against the camp, the urgent and effective UNHCR and UNAMI intervention, independently and based on their defined mandates, or through pressure on the Iraqi government to rid the remnants of this horrific catastrophe, are more necessary than ever before. We also believe a visit to Liberty by a delegation consisting of Iraqi MPs and representatives of various credible international human rights organizations that have always defended the rights of Liberty refugees under the framework of international conventions, to obtain a true analysis of the camp’s conditions and resolve its needs is the most urgent and practical measures of all. We would like to assure you of our full cooperation in this regard.
