A collection of repeated lies by Iraqi National Security Advisor to please the religious dictatorship in Iran and lay the groundwork for a humanitarian catastrophe
A call on international organizations and Iraq's political parties and personalities and religious leaders to dispatch fact-finding missions to Ashraf
NCRI – While the actions of Iraqi National Security Advisor Mowaffaq al-Rubaie against the residents of Camp Ashraf have caused widespread abhorrence among Iraqis and the international community, last night he once again appeared on the state television al-Iraqiya and spewed out a re-hash of a collection of lies against the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) and the residents of Ashraf in order to please the religious dictatorship ruling Iran and justify the ongoing unlawful and suppressive measures against the residents of Ashraf. Some of his allegations are as follows:
1) Al-Rubaie claims that the majority of countries in the world have classified the PMOI as a terrorist organization and Iraq too recognizes it as such.
If he is right, we ask him to name 10 countries which have added the PMOI to their terrorist lists. He knows full well that the PMOI was never in the United Nations list and has been removed from the terror lists of the United Kingdom and the European Union and furthermore has launched a legal challenge to the designation by the United States government. Moreover, he is aware that following a 16-month review and the screening of each and every residents of Ashraf, the US government announced that no Ashraf resident has had any links to terrorism, nor could they be charged with anything.
2) While the propaganda apparatus of the Iranian regime and the Iraqi government are at his disposal without the slightest restrictions to spread his lies against the PMOI, he complains of a "terrifying global propaganda machine run by the PMOI and a political and PR campaign" by this organization.
Mr. al-Rubaie should be told that it is not the PMOI propaganda machinery which has exposed the mullahs' evil resolution to massacre the PMOI in Ashraf City and the services of individuals such as al-Rubaie himself for the Iranian regime; rather, it is the determination of the PMOI in Ashraf and the legitimacy of their demands as well as the laudable support of the Iraqi men and women and the global solidarity that exists with Ashraf which have destroyed the evil plots of the mullahs' regime against them one after another.
3) In his interview, al-Rubaie said several times: "There are 5, 15, 20 or 25 people who have control over the others. The absolute majority of the residents of the camp have been brainwashed and would like to return to their country."
He knows full well that various U.S. agencies have privately interviewed all Ashraf residents in 2003-04, and subsequently each year asked them whether they wished to leave or remain in Ashraf. The latest case was on 9-10 August 2008, when a delegation of US forces put this question to all Ashraf residents and recorded all the answers. Furthermore, a delegation from the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in July 2007 was in Ashraf for four days and privately interviewed its residents. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) between August 2008 and March 2009 sent three delegations to Ashraf, each time staying for three days, and spoke to many Ashraf residents freely and in private. Various delegations from European countries, the US, Canada and the European Parliament have on numerous occasions gone to Ashraf and witnessed everything up close. Official Iraqi delegations on 25-26 February began to privately interview Ashraf residents with US officers sitting in as observers; however, after 168 interviews took place, they were halted despite follow ups made by the PMOI.
If Mowaffaq al-Rubaie is so concerned about a small group of "5, 15, 20 or 25 people" in charge of the residents of Ashraf, why has he cut off the contact of 3,400 other residents with the outside world and is not allowing political figures and parliamentary delegations and reporters to visit Ashraf? If he is correct, then it would be better to lift the ban on the entry of foreign reporters and delegations to Ashraf so that the world could learn of the so-called "brainwashing" and the true nature and actions of the residents' "really bad leaders." In order to do so, al-Rubaie would first have to abandon his mind-set which is barrowed from the mullahs' Supreme Leader.
4) In another blatant lie, Rubaie claimed that two individuals left Ashraf and "one of them said that they [PMOI] sent me out of the Camp and instructed me to set myself on fire [as soon as] I arrived at the [position] of the Iraqi Army. Then, they [PMOI] can claim that the Iraqi forces did it."
But liar has a short memory span. Rubaie has forgotten that in his statement on January 19, 2009 he had described this fictitious story in a different way. Then he announced "One of the residents of Ashraf turned himself to the Iraqi security forces and said that he was dispatched by the PMOI to carry out a suicide mission." It seems that since no explosives were found and the US forces had seen him, Mr. Rubaie was compelled to change his scenario.
5) Once again Rubaie ridiculously claimed that Ashraf is 400 square kilometers and it is far too big of an area for its inhabitants.
Exaggerating the figure 10 times is only intended to justify the restrictions and suppressive measures imposed on the residents and to claim that he wants to exercise Iraq's sovereignty.
6) In regard to the building currently under siege, Rubaie said, "There is a vacant building in the camp. This is of course not inside the camp but is adjacent to the camp. The Iraqi army arrived with a battalion. It has established itself in several tents and caravans. It wants to have a building. This facility is located on the Iraqi soil and belongs to this country …. The Iraqi army has acted to house itself in some of the buildings and mess halls. These buildings and salons belong to Iraq and are built for Iraqi army. The residents of the camp have occupied this building and have staged urban riot there and now they do not want to leave that place."
These are absolute lies. This building never belonged to Iraqi army and was built by residents of Ashraf and their resources. The facility in question was not vacant and as the Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran announced from the beginning, it is the place where hundreds of Ashraf residents, many of whom women, are housed.
In so far as the Iraqi battalion is concerned, from the start, the residents of Ashraf told the Iraqi authorities that they will do whatever they could to facilitate the needs of this battalion. To this end, the Ashraf residents provided the battalion with two buildings, several caravans, surveillance towers, power generators, water and hygiene facilities and water tankers.
In addition, on March 12, when upon the orders of Rubaie, the Ashraf residents were told to evacuate the building immediately, the Ashraf residents informed the Iraqi forces and the U.S. commanders, both orally and in writing, that if the Iraqi forces really needed a building, the Ashraf residents were willing to construct it in no time and they would cover all the costs.
7) In another blathered excuse, Rubaie while acknowledging that Ashraf residents "handed over their horrifying arsenal with a list to the Americans," claimed that "now we want to search the camp to make sure that there is no weapons left there."
Those who come up with such allegations are the very same people who in the years prior to the U.S.-Iraq war claimed that the PMOI did hide the WMD's of Iraq in its bases.
8) Al-Rubaie claims that the Iraqi government is not in possession of the names and particulars of the residents of Ashraf.
This part of Mr. al-Rubaie's remarks contains two falsities. Firstly, all Ashraf residents were screened by US forces and their identities, and full details, were registered as protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Also, the residents of Ashraf were not obliged to put these details at the disposal of Iraq, not least because there were no guarantees that the names would not be handed over to the Iranian regime as part of the unlawful "bilateral agreement" and deal between Iraq and the religious dictatorship ruling Iran. In any case, however, in order to show good will, the residents of Ashraf put the names and details of everyone there at the disposal of the Iraqi government. Thus, al-Rubaie's claims are simply desperate efforts which are a clear sign of his empty hands.
9) Al-Rubaie claims: "The Ministry of Human Rights has distributed 3,418 forms among people to state their choice [either to return to Iran or go to a third country], of which only 180 have returned, and no one was allowed to send back their form to state their choices."
This claim is a sheer lie, since no such form has been distributed among 3,418 people, nor have 180 people responded to it. There is a background to this case. An Iraqi committee led by al-Rubaie requested interviews with each and every Ashraf resident and for them to fill out and sign a form. However, after Iraqi forces barred international lawyers and delegations from visiting Ashraf, the International Committee of Jurists in Defense of Ashraf (ICJDA), which comprises some 8,500 lawyers and jurists from Europe and the U.S. including the lawyers of the residents of Ashraf, on January 28, wrote to the Ashraf residents, stating: "After consultations with the European Committee 'In Search of Justice (ISJ)' with the support of 2,000 parliamentarians from across Europe headed by the Vice-President of the European Parliament Dr. Alejo Vidal-Quadras … the ICJDA wishes to notify you of the following points as your judicial guidelines: You should not sign any document, questionnaire or agreement in the absence of your lawyers. In any democratic country where the rule of law prevails, lawyers cannot be ignored as this would undermine the basic rights of their clients."
Outlining its recommendations, the ICJDA said: "In view of unlawful remarks in recent days by Mr. Mowafaq al-Rubaei, both in Tehran and Baghdad, emphasizing that 'Iran's security is our security' and 'more than 3,000 residents of Ashraf must leave Iraq and this camp will be closed down in two months' (Reuters, January 23, 2009) and that 'some of the members of the group will be handed over to judicial authorities in Iraq and some to judicial authorities in Iran' (AFP, January 23, 2009); … the Iraqi government must recognize the rights of Ashraf residents – as the US government had previously done – and this should be done officially in writing and submitted to every single residents of Ashraf."
10) As far as the interview with residents of Ashraf are concerned, as it was referred to in previous statements by the Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, they offered their utmost cooperation with the delegation of the Ministry of Human Rights on February 25 and 26. The delegation was provided with the appropriate buildings and caravans for interviews at the location that it wanted. The delegation privately interviewed 168 residents of Ashraf in two days with no problems. No other members of the PMOI were present in those interviews. American officers were present in the interviews as observers and a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) which was visiting Ashraf in those days observed the interviews and the way they were conducted. The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) was also aware of the interviews. The interviews were supposed to continue after the weekend which followed February 26. All Ashraf residents had expressed their readiness to take part in the interviews. But they were stopped without any prior notice and now al-Rubai is twisting the truth. The American and Iraqi officials based in Ashraf and relevant international bodies were all informed of the repeated inquiries of the Ashraf residents about the continuation of the interviews. According to our latest information, Iraq’s Ministry of Human Rights is schedule to again start with interviews from March 28.
11) Al-Rubaie's lies follow the same pattern as the clerical regime’s and have no other use but to justify violation of the rights of Ashraf residents. It also prepares the grounds for a human catastrophe. Thus, the Iranian Resistance calls on all competent human rights organizations in particular the ICRC, UN High Commissioner for refugees, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UNAMI on one hand and Iraqi religious leaders, political parties and personalities and parliamentarians from Shiite, Sunni and Christian communities as well as Arab, Kurd or Turkmen ethnicities on the other, to dispatch their representatives to Camp Ashraf to conduct their independent investigations about the lies of al-Rubaie. Ashraf is transparent and the representatives can visit all places in Ashraf and speak freely to everyone at random. We also ask Mr. al-Rubaie not to prevent these delegations from entering Ashraf.
12) Contrary to al-Rubaie’s claims, the problem has nothing to do with the so-called lack of “cooperation of Ashraf residents with the Iraqi forces,” nor is it that they want to “create crisis” or has anything to do with the area of Ashraf and the building which is currently under the siege. The problem is clear. It is that of pressures exerted on the Iraqi government by the ruling religious dictatorship in Iran which has no objective but to wipe out Ashraf and its residents. This matter have been raised on a number of occasions by Ashraf residents, the International Committee of Jurists in Defense of Ashraf, the International Committee in Search of Justice (ISJ), parliamentary committees in various European countries, International Federation of Human Rights, Amnesty International, European Parliament and the Council of Europe with American and Iraqi officials and international bodies. Since a year ago, they have been warning that the transfer of protection of Ashraf from the U.S. forces to Iraqi government would put the residents at a grave risk and it would not be in the interest of the nascent Iraqi government which is under constant pressure by the Iranian regime on the matter. The transfer of responsibility of Ashraf protection to the Iraqi government would only embolden the clerical dictatorship’s ominous intentions against the residents of Ashraf.
Increase in suppressive restrictions and unlawful aggressions against Ashraf residents since February 20, the date al-Rubaie said that the transfer of protection of Ashraf to Iraqi government was completed, clearly indicates that the international assessments were accurate. The current aggression was triggered by Khamenei’s remarks at a meeting with the Iraqi President on February 28, only a week after the completion of transfer of protection to Iraqi forces.
Therefore, as it was mentioned in the ISJ's letter to the U.S. President on March 15, the only solution is, “consistent with the international obligations of the United States and in the framework of the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP) as well as based on the obligations arising from the agreement between the residents of Ashraf and the U.S. forces, the protection of Ashraf residents to be restored to pre-January 2009 situation, when the U.S. forces were protecting the residents of Ashraf.”
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistant of Iran
March 22, 2009
