Interview Dowlat Nowrouzi with British TV channel Sky News
Sky News TV – 11 April 2011
Sky News: Now Amnesty International is leading calls for investigation into reports that Iraqi troops killed and injured people at a camp for Iranian refugees north of Baghdad.
Camp Ashraf has been home for more than 3000 Iranians for 25 years. Iraqi army has been running the camp since 2009. Well, joining us now to discuss this is Dowlat Norouzi of the Iranian opposition group, the National Council of Resistance of Iran.
The Council claims that 33 people were killed in offensive by troops on Friday. Good morning to you. Thank you for joining us.
So, first of all what do you think has prompted this action at camp Ashraf?
Norouzi: The events for the previous days have clearly shown us that there had been contacts and continued demands, particularly by the Iranian officials, from the Iraqi government to destroy camp Ashraf as the major, you could say, resident centre for the Iranian opposition movement, the Mojahedin, that had been recognized as a determined opposition to establish democracy, freedom and human rights and social economic justice in Iran.
So, considering the wave of uprisings in the middle-east particularly continuation of protests and demonstrations in spite of sever brutal repression imposed by this very theocratic dictatorship ruling Iran against our youth and vast majority of Iranians. It was clear that they had been trying in any possible way to actually destroy the major opposition movement committed to freedom and democracy. So it’s been no of time request made by Khamenei, the supreme religious leader, from Iraqi officials, particularly Nori Maleki, who used to live in Iran for some 20 years. So this terrible horrifying criminal act, and actually a crime against humanity, was in our view, on the behest of the Iranian regime desire to destroy the major opposition movement.
Sky News: I mean you talk about horrifying. I’ve had a quick look at some of the images and I believe we can show some of them, some of them, but many of them obviously are far too shocking for us to broadcast. But you can see soldiers here just driving straight in to the camp and running them down.
Norouzi: Well, they deployed about 140 armoured vehicles and around 2500 armed forces to actually enter the camp and attack the residents, totally defenceless residents, unarmed residents. Many of them, 33 were killed, over 300 were severely injured as a result of gunshot, around 180 of the at least. Many were shot in the back and shot to their chest, shot to their abdomen, shot to their head. Many were deliberately targeted so it was very clear that their intention was actually carry out huge massacre and it was unbelievable to see how the government of Iraq is willing to actually breach international laws in order to carry out what is the demand of a very brutal dictators ruling in Iran.
Sky News: The information that you are getting is coming straight from camp Ashraf, from the sources there to verify?
Norouzi: Absolutely. Many of it particularly through video clips, video films we had received. We had received reports. Perhaps you have seen one of the major actually problems at the moment are huge no of very seriously injured people that need quite very quick medical assistance. And of course because of the 2 years siege imposed on Ashraf by the Iraqi government, they don’t have enough adequate medical assistance as well as different facilities they will need to carry out particularly surgical operations for wounded. The ones that had shotgun wounds. And, so …throughout the day we were receiving a lot of demands particularly, first of all for the armed forces to be actually removed from the camp. We want them to withdraw their forces, particularly the armed ones, which is still are being considered as a huge threat for the safety and security of those defenceless refugees which around 1000 of them are women. Amongst 33 that were killed, 8 of them were women aging from 20 up to 35 years of age. It is horrifying to see that this can still continue. And the no of injuries that we have received a lot of demand for is actually taking them to either the American hospital which is near Ashraf and also to allow the International Red Cross and the UN Assistant Mission to enter the camp to provide: 1) A first hand report; 2) medical assistance for the injured.
Sky News: So at the moment no international assistance has been able to get into the camp at the moment. So the wounded are just being treated in the camp. They haven’t been taken anywhere.
Norouzi: Exactly. And actually for the past few days, at least, 3 to 4 people that were killed was as a result of the wounds and not having adequate enough medical facilities to save them. They said Ad Melkert, the head of UN Assistant Mission in Iraq, that they were not allowed to enter the camp by the Iraqi government and they were turned down. But it is our demand. It is a clear action of breaching international law. It is time now for the international community, and particularly for the Security Council and the United State government, the European Union, to intervene and demand the Iraqi government to bow down to what they really request for providing assistance for camp Ashraf residents.
Sky News: And just finally, do you fear that if there isn’t international assistance they will be more such great loss like we are seeing on our screen at the moment?
Norouzi: Absolutely. I think there would be definitely the no of death toll would increase and actually we are very concerned that they are trying by not allowing the international observers to get in, is actually to further continue violence against totally unarmed defenceless residents, particularly the women in Ashraf. So we are very concerned and we think that they need to be strongly pressured by international community to give in and of course as perhaps the RTP, Responsibility to Protect, agreement is concerned they must, the international community and US must intervene.
Sky News: Ok, Dowlat Norouzi, thank you very much for joining us and sharing the story with us.
Norouzi: Thank you very much for giving me the chance, thank you.
