Siege on Camp Ashraf intensifies, entry of food, medicine and doctors barred
The Iranian regime, simultaneous with the nationwide uprising in Iran, has heightened its pressure on Iraqi government to conspire against residents of Camp Ashraf. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) had already warned about this in its statement on December 10 concerning remarks by Iraqi Prime Minister on forcible displacement of Camp Ashraf residents.
While the international community has been enraged by plans to forcibly displace Ashraf residents and Amnesty International has strongly denounced such an act, some international media have told the Iranian Resistance in their contacts with the Secretariat of the NCRI that the spokesman of the Iraqi government had told their correspondents based in Baghdad that the government had reached an agreement with the residents of Ashraf on their displacement planned for December 15 and had obtained their consent.
This claim is totally unfounded and untrue. It is only intended to deceive the public opinion. The Forcible displacement of Ashraf residents is absolutely unlawful and infringes the International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law and will lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. The international human rights organizations and distinguished international lawyers have reiterated the illegality of such a measure.
While the Iraqi government is speaking about a bogus agreement with Ashraf residents, the criminal siege on the camp has extremely intensified and it is now even affecting food stuff. Since Thursday, December 10, deliveries to Ashraf of food, including meat and vegetables, and hygiene products have been blocked. The food stuff is rotting outside the camp while waiting for clearance of the representative of the Prime Ministry committee responsible for suppression of Ashraf residents. Furthermore, doctors, medicines and fuel are still barred from entering Camp Ashraf.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
December 12, 2009