The AOHR is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, and has a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The organization’s statement condemns the Iranian regime’s pressures and plots against Ashraf residents, adding:
Ashraf residents are political refugees and are being protected on the basis of the International Refugee Convention. Their return to Iran would expose them to the threat of torture and would endanger their lives. This is especially serious since the sentence of hanging has been implemented at the Evin prison with respect to a number of arrested members of the [PMOI]. Moreover, exiled Iranian opposition sources report that a number of their relatives have been arrested in Iran.
The AOHR notes: Displacement of Ashraf residents violates the principle of non-refoulement, the International Refugees Convention, the Convention Against Torture, and International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
The AOHR calls on the governments of Iraq and the US to respect the rights of Ashraf residents. It also urged the UN Secretary General and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Iraq to adopt necessary measures to guarantee respect for the rights of Ashraf residents.
The AOHR was founded in December 1983 as a regional Non-governmental Organization (NGO) with the goal of promoting and protecting human rights in the Arab world in accordance with international standards.
In 1989, the organization obtained a consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council. In the same year, it also obtained monitoring status at the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. After reaching an agreement with the Egyptian government, the AOHR established its main headquarters in Egypt in May 2000.
The AOHR does not aspire to conduct political activities. Instead, it directs its protests against violence and human rights violations by governments and local groupings in the context of national and international laws.
The AOHR’s Secretary General is in Cairo. The organization has representatives in eight Arab countries, including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, and Yemen. In other Arab countries, it has individual members. It is also active in Austria, Canada, Germany, and the UK.