NCRI – On Saturday October 5th, thousands of Iranians supporters of the People Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) have staged a protest demonstration in Berlin and called on the UN, the U.S. and the German governments to save the lives of 7 Ashraf residents who were taken hostage on September 1st by the Iraqi Special Forces affiliated with Nouri al-Maliki.
In this demonstration which started across U.S. embassy in Berlin, the Iranians who are on hunger strike against massacre in Camp Ashraf also participated. Currently, hundreds in Camp Liberty (residents of Iranian refugees in Iraq), Berlin, London, Geneva, Ottawa and Melbourne are in their 35th day of hunger strike demanding release of the hostages.
The protestors announced that the U.S. government should immediately ask the Iraqi government to release 7 hostages, six women and one man, who are “persons of concern” under Geneva conventions and international refugee laws. The UN and the U.S. government know well that Maliki’s Special Forces attacked Camp Ashraf at the behest of Iranian regime, massacred 52 defenseless residents and kidnapped 7 others who are currently at the hands of Maliki’s Special Forces in Baghdad’s green zone.
The Iranians warned that according to specific information and acknowledgement of international organizations, the 7 hostages are in the worst condition at the hands of Iraqi security forces and are facing serious threat of extradition to Iran.
The protestors pointed out that the U.S. government has direct responsibility towards the hostages since it had given them written guarantees for security and protection, something that most senior U.S. Senators including Senator Menendez and Senator McCain endorsed two days ago. Silence and inaction of the U.S. government and the UN regarding hostages are unacceptable and unjustifiable and is complicity with the criminal and preparing the ground for greater crimes.
The supporters of Iranian resistance, who had come to Berlin from across Germany, strongly condemned silence and inaction of German government in the face of great crime against humanity occurred on September 1st in Ashraf, particularly because Germany after the U.S and Iranian regime is one of the biggest economic partners in Iraq and due to its extensive communication and relations with this state it could easily put pressure on the Iraqi government to release hostages. Germany could have acted through the UN and European Union but unfortunately has done nothing.
The Iranians called on the UN to station a permanent UN monitoring team and a unit of Blue Helmets in Camp Liberty to guarantee protection and security of nearly 3000 defenseless Iranian refugees in Iraq.
