Eleven and a half hours degrading and annoying inspection in Ashraf and several hours of waiting for inspection in Liberty, increased the time of travel for this stretch of one hundred kilometers to 20 hours. Consequently, a number of people in the group including three women suffered heatstroke and two of them were taken to hospital. Inspection of the residents’ property had already lasted for 5 days.
During the inspection of items of this group the Iraqi government imposed new, illegal and anti-human restrictions on the residents that are all violations of humanitarian standards, violated the Memorandum of Understanding between the Iraqi government and the United Nations and many international treaties:
The Iraqi forces, in addition to preventing the transfer of necessary equipment for disabled and injured including their accessible vehicles and trailers, prevented the transfer of passenger vehicles whereas in the hot season residents require these vehicles.
Before the transfer of the first group and after extensive negotiations with the Special Representative of the Secretary General, Iraqi government accepted to allow 10 passenger vehicles with every group, i.e. 10% of passenger vehicles, to Liberty. But with this group, the Iraqi government opposed the transfer of even one passenger car.
Also the transfer of six generators from Ashraf to Liberty was prevented while previously it was agreed upon, and only two generators were cleared to move to Liberty. Yet Liberty is not connected to the power grid in Iraq and generators that have been there are not functioning due to being worn out or their critical parts are taken away.
Iraqi forces prevented the transfer of facility equipment such as electric drills, milling machines, welding machines, tool boxes, paints, air compressors and projectors that are needed for repair and maintenance of Liberty facilities and worn-out infrastructure Like previous groups, again the transfer of some necessary and legitimate items such as air conditioners, sound equipments and satellite dishes, was denied.
The Iranian resistance draws the attention of the International community to these inhuman restrictions that have no other purpose than the suppression of the residents, and calls on the United Nations and the US government not to remain silent in the face of these continuing violations.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
April 17, 2012