Friends of a Free Iran calls on Iraq to immediately free 36 Ashraf hostages after the judge’s ruling for their release
From July 28 to July 30, 2009 Iraqi forces violently attacked unarmed Iranian opposition exiles at Camp Ashraf. The camp is located 100 km northeast of Baghdad and is home to 3400 members of the main Iranian opposition, the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). The criminal attack has left 11 people dead so far and over 500 injured. 36 residents have been taken hostage by Iraqi force while several of them were seriously wounded.
We have been informed that on Monday 24 August, the judge in Al-Khalis, the town nearest to Camp Ashraf in Diyala province, Iraq, ruled that the 36 Ashraf hostages should be released and passed the verdict to the police for implementation. The verdict was also approved by the Al-Khalis Prosecutor. They ordered that the detained PMOI members must be released immediately.
But so far the Iraqi government has refused to obey the instruction of the court and has refused to release them. All 36 Ashraf hostages are on their 30th day of hunger strike.
Friends of a Free Iran intergroup in the European Parliament (FOFI) calls on the US government as the legal protector of the "Protected Persons" of Camp Ashraf under the Fourth Geneva Convention, to ensure the release of all 36 hostages in accordance with the explicit ruling of the judge in Al-Khalis.
We also call on the Swedish Presidency of the European Union to intervene to implement the rule of law and return these 36 detainees to Ashraf Camp.
The EU should also react by issuing a statement about the violation of the rights of Ashraf residents and the absolute disregard of the Iraqi government and forces to the European Parliament's resolution of 24 April 2009, in which the parliament demanded that the Iraqi government should end the outrageous blockade of Ashraf and respect the rights of the residents there as Protected Persons under Fourth Geneva Convention. The EU must also call for a team of United Nations observers to be stationed in Ashraf to ensure the future safety of its residents.
Struan Stevenson MEP
Chair, Friends of a Free Iran intergroup
European Parliament
