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HomeStatementsStatements: Ashraf / LibertyEngineer Bardia Amir-Mostofian dies after 48-hour-long transit inspection after entering Camp Liberty

Engineer Bardia Amir-Mostofian dies after 48-hour-long transit inspection after entering Camp Liberty

Iraqi doctor confirms he died of cardiac arrest due to fatigue

At 6am on Tuesday March 20, 2012, engineer Bardia Amir-Mostofian, a member of the PMOI who was among the third group to be transferred to Camp Liberty, soon after entering the camp had a cardiac arrest due to intense fatigue and lost his life.

Mr. Amir-Mostofian, 44, a renowned electrical expert, joined the residents of Camp Ashraf some 20 years ago to continue the struggle against the religious fascism ruling Iran.

For the past 48 hours, he was involved in the transferring of items and subjected to the transit inspection process. After arriving at Liberty, he went into a trailer for prayers but did not come out. When his friends went to call him to take part in the Nowrouz (Persian New Year) celebrations, they found his corpse and immediately transferred him to the Iraqi doctor in Liberty. The doctor confirmed that he had died of cardiac arrest due to fatigue and pressure.

The inspection of belongings began at 8 am on Sunday March 18 and went on until midday on Monday March 19, following which inspections of individuals began. At one point during this offensive inspection, the Special Forces known as SWAT attacked the residents and beat them with electric batons.

The convoy left Ashraf at 8.15pm on Monday. Despite the inspections that took place in Ashraf, once the convoy reached the vicinity of Liberty another inspection was conducted. The residents were kept in extremely cold weather for hours for senseless reasons. The residents managed to get off the buses at 6.30am on Tuesday, more than 10 hours later, in Liberty.

The Iraqi government and UNAMI for the past few days in an unjustifiable haste demanded that the third group of residents be transferred on March 19 and did not accept the pleas of the residents and their representatives for the transfer to take place on March 22 following the Persian New Year. The UN Secretary General’s Special Representative and UNAMI officials were repeatedly told in writing and verbally by the representatives of Ashraf that carrying out the transfer on March 19 would put extreme pressure on the residents.

This is in fact a forcible relocation carried out by the Iraqi government, under the watch of the UN, to please the religious fascism ruling Iran and to spoil the New Year festivities of the Ashraf residents which has led to catastrophes such as the death of Amir-Mostofian.

The Iranian Resistance draws the attention of the UN Secretary General and Security Council and the US government to the blatant violation of the rights of the Ashraf residents and this forcible relocation and calls on them to guarantee the minimum assurances sought by the Ashraf residents in order to prevent a greater catastrophe.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
March 20, 2012