Mr. Kobler’s report to the Security Council on November 29, 2012 about Ashraf and Liberty was very biased, full of lies accompanied with concealing of the truth. Mr. Kobler’s statements were so antagonistic that Iraqi Ambassador’s statements looked very soft and moderate in comparison. Kobler used his known tactic,
threatening on behalf of the Iraqi government that: “The Government of Iraq insists to close Camp Ashraf in the next days”. By concealing the facts about the sale of Ashraf residents’ property, which he had promised several times, blamed the residents for the stalemate and said: “The government of Iraq considers the stalemate as an attempt by the residents to delay the relocation of the remaining 100 persons. The government of Iraq’s patience therefore is wearing thin”.
In another obvious lie to revenge against Liberty residents, who had urged his replacement in a joint letter to the Secretary General, Kobler said: “UN monitors in Camp Hurria, monitor the human rights and humanitarian situation of the residents on the daily basis. They are however denied access to certain areas of the camp by the residents”.
This false claim that was mentioned by Kobler on November 11 to be consumed in the Security Council meeting was denied the same day by the representative of the residents with details and background. The representative of the residents wrote to Kobler:
“The claim is completely false. It is mixed with political aims and intentions and is without any reasoning. It is merely an allegation against Liberty residents and the Mujahedin Organization and the leadership of the camp….
In no meeting, have any of your monitors ever expressed dissatisfaction to camp representatives about lack of free access.
There are two issues completely unacceptable and red-line. We seriously ask you to stop them.
Men (claiming to be monitors or persons protecting monitors) going to women’s resting quarters. This is completely unacceptable for Muslim women in Liberty. There can be no excuses for justifying this. Breeching religious traditions along with basic human, and human rights principles and specially rights of women provided for in international laws and conventions, are appalling. I am imagining it is in anticipation of this that in your letter today you are trying to have the upper hand by blaming the residents.
Another shocking issue is that your monitors take police personnel to dwelling locations of the residents which the police normally don’t go there. This is very provocative and raises concern. It facilitates future oppressive measures of the police in the camp. I seriously warn against that”.
On November 27, two days before the Security Council meeting, the international committee of In Search Of Justice (ISJ), consisting of 4000 parliamentarians in Europe and America, which had predicted Mr. Kobler’s biased and altered reports based on previous experiences, asked the Security Council to hear the representative of the residents. The committee wrote to the Security Council and the Secretary General: “Since enmity of the GOI and its representative at UN towards the PMOI and Ashraf residents is no secret to anyone, and considering that the SRSG’s reports about Ashraf and its residents is unilateral and unjust, the Security Council should give hearing in this regard to a representative on behalf of the residents of Ashraf and Liberty in its meeting on November 29”.
Last February, in order to cover up the scandal of “Temporary Transit Location” and retouched photos by Photoshop that was revealed in a US Congress hearing on September 13, 2012 by a top UNAMI official, Kobler claimed that the residents had themselves blown up sewage pipes and black water tanks and intentionally had spread the garbage across Liberty! Kobler also claimed that residents had files their fingertips in order to conceal their identity! That was an absolute lie and its falsehood was later proved in the UNHCR.
In its report to the Security Council, the international committee of In Search Of Justice (ISJ), while showing systematic alteration of facts in Kobler’s reports and pointing to the testimony of the top UNAMI official who was responsible for Ashraf file for 3.5 years, wrote:
“What we have heard from Mr. Boumedra, who was in charge of Ashraf file in the UNAMI until last May, was extremely shocking. He specified under oath in the US Congress that the principles which the UN has been based on were totally breached in the UNAMI by the SRSG; the reports were altered and censored; ‘voluntary relocation’ was turned into ‘forcible eviction’; selected photos of Liberty were given to the residents to deceive them and the UNAMI was turned into an instrument in the hands of the Government of Iraq (GoI) to close Camp Ashraf. Iranian regime was systematically being allowed to involve in the fate of its opponents and the UNAMI’s conduct was actively and directly influenced by the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad.”
“Keeping silent in face of systematic violation of UN values and turning a section of this organization into an instrument of the Government of Iraq and the Iranian regime to suppress the legitimate opposition of this regime is unacceptable and intolerable. Disclosures by Mr. Boumedra regarding the conduct of the SRSG are not erroneous decisions or assessments of a politician or a senior official of the United Nations; these are criminal acts that one should be held accountable for.”
Martin Kobler’s statements of November 29 in the Security Council have no other purpose than to follow the ominous orders of the religious fascism ruling Iran and its puppet government in Iraq. Thus he is paving the way for suppression and a repeated massacre, and the stealing of property.
On the other hand, hours before his speech in the Security Council, Kobler sent to the representative of the residents the same plan he had sent on November 22, by changing some words that made it more appealing to the Government of Iraq. This is while he had received a response to that plan on November 22, detailed in 30 articles in the statement of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, titled “New arrangements by the Government of Iraq to plunder property and deny ownership of Ashraf residents” (NCRI statement, November 22, 2012)
This extremely surprising measure along with Mr. Kobler’s statements in the Security Council raises suspicions and is indicative of sabotage and disruption in talks and agreements related to the sale of Ashraf residents’ property, that the UN officials and the US officials and personalities are well aware of with details. It appears that there is an intention that the process of selling property and belongings remains in stalemate, as it has been in the past year.
The Iranian resistance, with strongest protest to Martin Kobler’s conduct, once again urges Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to appoint a competent representative to investigate this matter.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
November 30, 2012