The 36 PMOI members who were taken hostage by Iraqi forces on July 28 completed their 30th day of hunger strike while some of them still suffer from serious injuries they received at the time of their abduction. The rest of them were badly beaten when captured by Iraqi forces. They are on strike in protest against their arbitrary detention, torture and suppressive treatments. Due to their injuries and effects of hunger strike they are suffering from acute and intolerable pains. Some of them cannot walk and have to be taken around on wheelchair. Some of them fainted when they stood before the judge during their trial. Despite the ruling of a court in Khalis ordering the release of the hostages yesterday, the Prime Minister’s office in Baghdad, at the behest of the Iranian regime, obstructed their release.
On the brink of the second month of hunger strike, the state of some of the residents of Ashraf has deteriorated. Mitra Rafi’I, Tayebeh Masrour, Mahnaz Abuzarian, Forough Pakdel, Badri Rahimi, Noushin Namvar, Lida Nasan Zadeh, Shamsi Roushanai, Fereshteh Mohammadi, Maryam Afsai, Mahnaz Jadidian, Maryam Shirangi, Hossnieh Mansouri, Saideh Sabouri, Mohammad Taslimi, Mohammad Khodabandeh, Mohammad Omrani, Ali Ehsani, Peyman Mojallal and Hadi Kasehchi are suffering from various consequences including eye sight defects, extreme weakness, acute headaches, dizziness, kidney problems, spasm and muscular pains, problems with digestive system and nausea. Some of them are in hospital. Most of the strikers have lost between 9 to 18 kilos.
Ashraf hunger strikers in their message to the Iranian people wrote that by massacre of Ashraf residents the crises stricken regime of Velayat Faghih was hoping to extinguish the flames of the nationwide uprising of the people, but contrary to that, it increased anger and hatred of people against the ruling mullahs, and made Mojahedin more determined and resolute than ever in regaining the stolen rights of the their people, and at the same time it has given a new dimension to the solidarity between the people and dissident political forces and personalities.
This worldwide hunger strike symbolizes this anger and at the same time the above mentioned solidarity.
Ashraf hunger strikers reiterated that their demands were; the immediate release of 36 Mojahedin hostages, withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Ashraf, and taking responsibility of providing protection for Ashraf by the US forces until it is replaced by an International force and an International observer team stationed in Ashraf.
They also emphasized that "nearly 2,000 suppressive forces with the same lethal weapons and equipments have kept their formation in and around the camp".
By preventing the journalists and lawyers and human rights advocates from entering Ashraf and by a complete siege of the camp, they want to cover up what they did and what they intend to do. Particularly when neither US forces nor any international body have guaranteed the safety and security of Ashraf.
Since Khamenei and his faction will not stop their conspiracies in the final stage of their regime, in such circumstances, the hunger strike is our only lever to avert the recurrence of the attack and to foil their conspiracies.
Thus we must emphasize the urgency of getting the necessary guarantees from the US and relevant international bodies.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
August 26, 2009